The Girl Left Behind
by stupid-nickel
Summary: It's 2015 and the Doctor sometimes still goes on trips with Amy and Rory.  When a strange girl suddenly appears on the TARDIS, what'll the Doctor do?  And what's up with her power?  Rated T for language.  Now Complete!
1. Chapter 1 Mirrors

**Hello all :) So I've re-done the first three chapters, they sound better now :) Please take the time to review this story, it would mean a lot :)**

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><p>Chapter 1 – Mirrors<p>

As the girl sat up she groaned; everything hurt. She rubbed her head and her eyelids fluttered open. Staring back at her was a pair of green eyes. Jumping in surprise, the girl realized it was only her reflection.

She ran her hands through her short, black hair as she recalled the events of the night before. It had been a fairly normal night. She ate dinner—take-out pizza—and fiddled around on her laptop for a bit before going to bed.

"So, how did I end up on the floor?" she asked the mirror. _'Hang on,'_ she thought, a chill running down her spine_. 'I don't have a mirror in my room…'_

The girl took in her surroundings, realizing that the walls of this room were _all_ mirrors, and she didn't have a clue where she was.

Her pulse quickened and there was a hitch in her breath when she realized that something—something very _bad_—was going on. She knew London like the back of her hand. The fear rose within her and she was getting close to hysterics.

A shrill scream escaped her lips as she watched her entire body disappear.

_'This HAS to be a dream,'_ she tried to convince herself.

She yelped as she pinched her arm in an attempt to wake up. "Okay, okay, okay…" She spoke quickly. "So, I'm invisible…so what? Let's make the most out of this. I can still feel stuff….and I can…um…" She searched her mind, trying to find a way to make light of the situation. Giggling nervously, she thought of something she had seen online the night before. "I can go to Paris and beat up performing street mimes. They'd get a ton of applause!" As her nerves slowly calmed, she saw her body start to reappear.

"Alrighty, simple enough," she said contentedly. "All I have to do is stay calm and I won't turn invisible. I can do that…"

'_Maybe…'_

She decided to try to be brave and find out what was going on.

As she stood up, she immediately crumpled back to the floor, crying out in pain. She found that she could barely put any weight on her right ankle. She could still wiggle her toes, as much as it hurt, so she figured it wasn't broken and was probably just a bad sprain, though she had no idea how it happened. _'That's gonna need to be wrapped up...'_ She would just have to keep as much weight as she could off of her ankle until she could find something to bind it with. With that in mind, she limped out of the room and started to look around.

It wasn't long before she stumbled upon a room full of clothes. "Must be some sort of wardrobe…" she muttered.

The room was huge and there was an infinite amount of clothing in it; even more than a store would have. Clothes for every occasion: summer clothes, winter jackets, sweaters, tuxedos, dresses, jeans, t-shirts, shoes and boots. _'Is that a fez?'_ she wondered absently.

The girl managed to find a scarf and wrapped it tightly around her right ankle. It would have to do for now. Her ankle still really hurt, but she could at least walk—well, hobble—for a little while. She decided to see if she could find a way out.

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><p><em>'Why does this place have to be so damn huge? Ugh...' <em>

The girl's ankle was throbbing and she still hadn't managed to find a way out of…wherever she was. And this frustrated her to no end. _'I must have been walking around for at least an hour now!' _ She had seen a pool, a library, a kitchen, hallways upon hallways, rooms that wouldn't open, and even one room with a very angry _badger_ in it. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep going for much longer with the pain that was radiating from her ankle.

She was about to give up hope when she found herself standing in a doorway, looking into what seemed to be some sort of control room. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. There were countless levers and buttons, blinking lights, strange-looking objects that spun, and other things she couldn't put a name to if she tried.

And there was a door!

She had seen multiple doors so far, but this door was different from all the rest; none of the others had windows. She decided to give it a try.

Before she could enter the room, the door opened and three people—two men and a woman by the looks of it—backed in, all out of breath and with various parts of them covered in soot.

_'Shit!'_ her thoughts screamed as she hurried to stand outside of the doorway—just out of their sight. She would have run if it wasn't for the pain she knew it would cause her ankle and her burning curiosity as to who these people were.

"Dammit, Doctor!" The woman had a very apparent—Scottish?—accent, and sounded extremely angry. "You promised me Rio! That's the third time now!"

"Amy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for us to end up _here_! Besides, Rio doesn't even compare to _this_!" a second voice argued. "I mean, come on! The Planet of the _Dragon People_! They're dragons…_and_ they're people! They're cool! You have to admit, that was pretty cool! Rory thought it was cool, didn't you Rory?"

_'The Planet of the what?'_ The girl's mind was racing. She decided that she must have misheard and returned to listening.

"Sure it was," the third voice—Rory, she guessed—chimed in. "Until _you_ told them their leader had some 'lizard-like' qualities, insulted them, and nearly got us _burnt to a crisp_!"

"Rory, shut up!"

"Oi! Doctor, that's my husband! You can't just—"

"You too, Amy. Shut up!" This "doctor" sounded worried. "Something's wrong…"

The girl heard a strange bleeping noise coming from their direction. When it stopped the doctor continued. "Rory, Amy, don't be alarmed…but we aren't alone."

She froze. _'No, no he couldn't possibly…'_

"W-what? …What do you mean?" Amy questioned.

"I mean, there is something else on my TARDIS. I don't know what it is, how big it is, or if it's dangerous but…but it's through that doorway."

The girl's breathing picked up and she started to run.


	2. Chapter 2 Abigail Adams

**Hello lovely people :) Thanks for reading my first chapter! This next one was also fixed up. Thanks to the people who already have me on Story Alert and Favorite Story! It honestly makes my day. Also, thanks to animemonkey13 who was my first reviewer. Unfortunately, I lost your review so I can't answer it :( Sorry!**

**Review for a Jammy Dodger! **

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><p>Chapter 2 – Abigail Adams<p>

The Doctor had tried pushing random buttons, scanning with his sonic and the TARDIS, running _more_ scans on his screwdriver and TARDIS, and had even kicked the console in a burst of frustration. Unfortunately, all he was left with was zero information about the thing on his ship and a sore foot. As he massaged his throbbing toes, Rory had to open his mouth.

"Can't you, I dunno, do some scans or something? Doctor, how can you not know _anything_ about it—whatever 'it' is?"

The Doctor sighed. He was extremely frustrated and his companions were not helping—not helping one bit! "Because, _Rory_," he started, acid seeping into his voice, "I already _tried_! _Multiple_ times, really. I don't know how you managed to miss it. And I can't get any information because this thing obviously has a perception filter, and a very strong one at that. One so strong that even _I_ can't see through it. _Nor_ can my screwdriver, _nor_ my TARDIS." He stroked the console lovingly and whispered "Sorry. Thanks for trying though, dear."

The Doctor wasn't the only frustrated one, though; Amy couldn't believe it. First, no Rio, and now this? "Well how the hell are we supposed to find it then?"

"I can track it using the sonic and, once we find it I'll…do a thing."

"What thing?" Rory asked, rolling his eyes.

"Why must everyone always insist on knowing what every little thing I plan on doing is? I'm sure I've said it before—in fact I am _positive_ that I have—but I will say it again. Only this once though so _listen_ this time! It is a _thing_ in _progress_. And once I do said thing, it will be very clever so _respect_ it!" He clapped his two companions on their backs before continuing. "Come along, Ponds. Off we go!"

Following the directions given to him by his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor—followed by an irritated Amy and slightly confused Rory—headed deeper into the TARDIS.

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><p>As the girl slid down the wall into a seated position, she whispered a string of profanities. She had only gotten a few hallways away from her pursuers before her ankle couldn't take the pressure anymore and gave out. She couldn't go any further. She looked down at her hands to see that she had, once again, become invisible. However, this time, she welcomed it.<p>

_'Even if I can't go any further, at least they won't be able to see—'_

Her thought was interrupted by a twenty-something-looking man leaping into the hallway—quite dramatically—with an "_AHA_!"

Sporting a tweed jacket, suspenders, and a bowtie (though, the girl had to admit that the bowtie suited him), the man looked quite peculiar. His triumphant grin soon turned into a pout and he scratched his head in confusion.

"Congratulations, Doctor," a woman with fiery-red hair drawled as she rounded the corner, "you caught the empty hallway."

'_So bowtie is the Doctor, and that must be Amy…'_ the girl thought, keeping track of their names. However, she wasn't sure why she even cared who was who.

The woman was extremely sarcastic and sounded quite irate. As she glared at the Doctor, the third person—the girl presumed him to be Rory—entered, looking very confused.

"But, where is it?" he asked.

"It's obviously not here, Dumbo. Doctor, can we _please_ go to Rio now?" Amy whined.

The girl was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when the Doctor spoke.

"Hush, Amy. In the words of my good friend Abigail Adams, 'I've always felt that a person's intelligence is directly reflected by the number of conflicting points of view he can entertain simultaneously on the same topic.' Oh, Abigail. Nice woman. She fancied me, you know. Had a husband, too! Naughty, naughty Abigail!" He chuckled, shaking his head.

"But, what does that have to do with the empty hallway?"

"Absolutely nothing, Rory," the Doctor explained. He took a strange silver stick-like device out of his inside jacket pocket and held it up. As he slowly spun in a circle, the device started bleeping softly and lit up at the end. "But it isn't empty. No, no, _no_ quite the opposite actually. See, you and I are standing here, as is Pond, and—" The bleeping became much more intensified and higher pitched as he pointed the device at the invisible girl. "—so is our guest" He finished quite smugly.

The Doctor looked at the seemingly empty space, his eyes unable to lock on to any one point. He decided to make his demands anyways. "Okay, whoever-you-are, I've had enough games. I want to know who you are and what you're doing on my TARDIS! And, while we're on the subject, how did you even get in her? And when? And why? Wait, I've already done 'why,' haven't I? Still, I want to know!"

The girl felt paralyzed with fright. She prayed that, if she was silent, they would simply give up and leave. She knew that this would most likely not happen, but she still hoped.

"Come on," the Doctor drawled. "I know you're there and I'm not leaving until I get answers! Why don't you just take off the perception filter, hmm? Let's start with that."

'_The what?'_

"How do you know it didn't already leave?"

"Rory, for once you have actually asked a good question! Feel free to one of my Jammy Dodgers later. Actually, don't. Those are _mine_ and I want them. Have…Amy give you a pat on the back." The Doctor answered Rory's question by explaining the complex nature of the anatomy of multiple creatures throughout all of time and space and how the quantum-strength, triple-enfolded ninja star far, far out in the universe really was a sight to see and how it all related back to this one particular incident and it was really quite simple actually. Upon receiving the blank looks on both Rory and Amy's faces, he simply stated "I programmed my sonic to tell us if it moves."

The girl quickly tried to move silently to her left, causing the Doctor's device to go off like a car alarm.

"See?"

The girl was stuck and she knew it. She wouldn't be able to sneak away from these people unseen or unheard. _'Well, I said I was going to be brave, didn't I? No time like the present…'_

She sucked in a deep breath.


	3. Chapter 3 Perception Filter

**Alrighty, this is the last old-fixed chapter :P**

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><p>Chapter 3 – Perception Filter<p>

Well, the girl at least _tried_ to speak. However, no sound came out—she was too scared.

As the fear-stricken girl struggled, Amy had grown impatient.

"Agh! Just who the hell are you!" the she shouted, throwing her hands into the air while Rory cautioned her with an, "_Amy_—"

The girl snapped, anger overriding her fear. "Who am I? Who am _I_? I wake up in some random building, I have no clue where the _hell_ I am, I can barely _walk_, I get chased by my kidnappers and _you're_ asking _me_ who _I_ am? Who the hell are _you_! And _why_, if it's not too much trouble to ask, am I _invisible_?"

_'Whoa. What was that?'_ she wondered. _'Whatever it was, it felt good!'_

The girl realized that she was standing up; her rant made her feel empowered and she wasn't afraid of these strangers anymore. For the moment at least.

Rory and Amy's mouths flew open in shock as a girl faded into view in front of them. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was very angry. Red-in-the-face angry. The Doctor, however, was not so easily fazed. He pocketed the silver wand-like thing—a grin plastered across his face—as he said, "Well, that's better now! I hate perception filters, don't you? They always make things appear all wibbly!"

"_Who_. _Are_. _You_." the girl growled.

"Right, yes, hello!" He waved. "I'm the Doctor!"

"The Doctor?" The girl was skeptical. That couldn't be his actual _name_. Secretly wishing she could cock one eyebrow up, she continued, "Doctor…what?"

"Just the Doctor. And this is Amy and Rory." The Doctor gestured to his companions.

"Great," she drawled. "Now, where am I?"

"Ah ah ah. How about we take turns asking questions, hmm?"

"Fine. Now it's my turn." The girl smiled smugly as she waited for the Doctor to realize his mistake. As he did, he made a face.

"You're on my TARDIS," he answered begrudgingly. "Now, who might I ask are _you_?"

"Cora. Cora Daniels. What on Earth is a _TARDIS_?"

"Not always on Earth, other places too sometimes! And T-A-R-D-I-S. It stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. She is my time and spaceship. Why are you on her?"

Cora was confused. "Her?" she asked. _'And did he say "time and spaceship"? Well that's…interesting…'_

"My TARDIS," the Doctor clarified, sighing dramatically.

"Because you kidnapped me!"

It was the Doctor's turn to be confused. "_Kidnapped_ you? No I didn't! Rory, Amy, did I kidnap her?" He didn't wait for his companions to answer before continuing. "No, see? I didn't even know you were here until a few minutes ago! Besides, we were just on the Planet of the Dragon People! _How_ could we have kidnapped you—a _probably_ human girl? _And_ if we _had_ kidnapped you, why would you have a perception filter on?"

Cora sighed. "I don't _have_ a perception filter! I don't even know what that is! When I woke up here, I got freaked out and I turned invisible. When you walked in, I freaked out and turned invisible _again_! I have honestly no idea how." Cora wondered when she had started to trust the Doctor. She normally wasn't this upfront and open with _anyone_.

The Doctor whipped the wand-like device back out of his jacket pocket and held it up.

"What's that thing?" Cora could feel herself becoming slightly transparent with unease.

"It's my sonic screwdriver," the Doctor reassured her. "Don't worry; I'm only going to scan you for any alien technology. It won't hurt." He smiled as Cora's colour literally returned.

As the Doctor scanned Cora, Rory stepped up. "Did you say that you couldn't walk?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's just a sprain though, I think."

"Let me see," he ordered. "I'm a nurse." Rory ensured that her ankle was wrapped up correctly and told her to take some painkillers—an obvious piece of advice in Cora's mind—just as the Doctor finished his scan. He stared at his screwdriver, his brow furrowing in concentration.

"Well?" Amy asked. "What's going on?"

"Now _that's_ interesting," he muttered.

"What is?"

"She's human and…"

"And _what_?"

"And no perception filter…"


	4. Chapter 4 Scanning

**Aaaaannnnddddd Chapter 4!**

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**Today, Reviews will be...your very own perception filter. Get out of that class presentation! Hide from your enemies! Prank your friends! Review and receive one TODAY! :D**

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><p>Chapter 4 - Scanning<p>

Cora bit her lip and tried not to freak out. "I have a few questions," she stated as calmly as she could.

The Doctor wasn't paying attention though. "But how could that," he muttered to himself, "no, that would never…but what about…it's not the right time of year…_however_…no, no, _no_, that's all _wrong_!"

Patience never was one of Cora's strongest virtues. "Hey, Doctor!" she shouted.

He jumped before spinning to face her. "Right, yes, questions." He clapped his hands together before motioning towards Cora. "Shoot."

"What the _hell_ is a perception filter?"

"Well…" the Doctor dragged out the word, "perception filters have the effect of directing attention away from the object or its bearer, rendering them unnoticeable. They can do different things. They can change your memory, making it so that an object was always there—just ask Pond here—or you could ask my good friend, Martha Jones. She described it by saying that 'you know it's there, but you don't want to know it's there.' Oh _ho_, she was a clever gal, that Martha Jones. Don't give me that look, _Pond_, you're married to _Rory_. I _do _have friends besides the two of _you_, you know. Anyways, particularly intelligent people—like me—are immune to their effects. This is why it's strange that I couldn't see you. Now, they were invented in—" *

"_Doctor!_" Cora stopped him mid-sentence. Her brain hurt. "Could you dumb it down a bit?" she pleaded.

Heaving a sigh as though he was just asked to explain quantum mechanics to a three-year-old that ate paste and boogers, he obliged—slowly. "It's a telepathic device that misdirects the senses around itself or whoever's using it." *

Cora nodded slowly. "Okay…so if I don't have one on me—which I _told _you I didn't—why do I keep going see-through?"

The Doctor grinned impishly, his eyes twinkling. "Now _that _is a good question!"

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><p>In the console room, Cora was hooked up to a dozen different devices. With all the wires hanging off of her, she looked like a partially-formed Cyberman.<p>

Amy's attention had been captured. "Doctor, what's all that stuff _do_?"

"Well, that one's to monitor her heart rate, that keeps the Thing-A-Mabob from frying her brain, _that _is a flashlight, and the rest all do…something. Not sure, really. I just like the wires!"

"Is it safe?" Rory and Cora asked in unison.

The Doctor nodded. "Yes. Positively most times. I suppose we're going to find out, now aren't we?"

"What?" Cora shrieked.

"Here we go!"

The Doctor pulled a lever and Cora braced herself. Why had she agreed to let the Doctor thoroughly scan her in the first place? A few flashing lights and a small _ding! _later, the Doctor walked over to Cora, bringing the monitor along with him.

"See," he grinned, "told you!"

Cora shook her head. "Why do I trust you?"

"Well it's because—"

"That was rhetorical."

"Right." The Doctor frowned as he looked at his monitor.

As Cora stripped the wires, stickers, and buttons off of her, she glanced over to see what the Doctor was frowning about.

"That's not English."

"It's Gallifreyan. The language of my race."

Cora gaped. "Wait…you're an alien?" She supposed it made sense. He had a time and space ship, and he generally didn't act very human. "Okay…I guess."

"Umm," Rory peered over nervously, "would either of you care to tell us what's happening?"

The entire TARDIS shook as she landed roughly. Everyone looked to the Doctor as they regained their balance—he was still frowning.

"Off we go, Ponds. Back home with you!"

"Doctor, you _can't _be serious."

Cora's eyebrows pulled together as she watched them argue. Something had to be seriously wrong. Why was he kicking them out?

"Sorry, but you have to go. I'll bring you to Rio when I get back, Amy!"

"Doctor—"

"Promise!"

And with that, the door shut, and the Ponds were gone. Seeing the confusion in her face, the Doctor strode over to Cora.

"I couldn't let them stay," he explained, "too dangerous."

'_You've got to be kidding me.'_

As he sensed her distress, the Doctor placed a reassuring hand on Cora's shoulder. "Don't worry you're going to be fine. But someone put you on my ship. And it wasn't for a visit either. Whoever did this has something bad planned."

Cora's eyes widened until she was sure they'd pop right out of their sockets. "How do you know?"

Wiping his face with his hand, the Doctor looked down at her sympathetically.

"Because they've managed to embed the perception filter molecules into your DNA. And nothing good ever comes from that.

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><p><strong>* this is the source of my definitions :P wikiPerception_filter**


	5. Chapter 5 Calm Down

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><p>Chapter 5 – Calm Down<p>

"What do you mean, the perception filter's in my DNA?"

Cora wasn't handling the news very well. Once again, she was invisible, frustrated, and confused. She tried pinching herself again as she paced back and forth on the glass floor.

'_Nope. Still awake. Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT! What the hell?'_

"Cora, _Cora_," she could vaguely hear the Doctor calling her name. "Cora, listen to me, you _need _to calm down. We'll sort this out."

"Calm down? How can I _calm down?_" Her breathing was coming in shaky, ragged gasps. "I'm on a spaceship with an alien, some _nut-job _who likes screwing with DNA _put _me here and, oh yeah, _I'm INVISIBLE! _So I'm sorry, _Doctor_," she sneered his name, "but I'm having a little trouble _calming down!_"

The Doctor ran his hands through his mop of hair. "Cora. I'm sorry, I really am, but if you don't calm down enough for me to see you, I won't be able to help you." He waited a few beats, allowing her to absorb this.

Heaving a sigh the size of Mars, Cora pinched the bridge of her nose and shut her eyes. She tried a method that seemed to work on TV.

'_Ten…nine…eight…'_

It wasn't going to work. She was going to be stuck like this.

'…_seven…six…five…'_

What did the Doctor know, anyways? He was an alien—or so he said—so what could he know about humans?

'…_four…three…'_

But then again, his friends looked human. And they seemed to trust him.

'…_two…one…'_

And Cora's problem wasn't exactly of human _origin_. Maybe she just needed to have a bit of faith. What was the worst that could happen?

'…_zero.'_

Opening her eyes, Cora looked at the Doctor. He was grinning like a kid at Christmas.

"There we go!" he said excitedly. "Now, I might be able to figure out what kind of perception filter this is, but I'll need your help."

That certainly wasn't what Cora had expected him to say. Her eyebrows knit together. "Why do you need to do that?" she asked.

"_Because_, Cora Daniels," the Doctor's eyes twinkled, as if he was delighted by the mystery, "if we know which type of perception filter it is, we can figure out who would be most likely to use it!"

'_Alright, that makes sense, I suppose,'_ Cora allowed.

"Fine. What do you need to know?"

"We'll start with the basics. Name: Cora Daniels. How old are you, Cora?"

"Nineteen."

The Doctor started tapping her answers into the TARDIS mainframe. Cora thought the Gallifreyan looked quite cool.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

Cora bit her bottom lip thoughtfully. "I was at home, eating pizza, and on my computer. Then I went to bed and woke up here."

"Where _is _home?"

"London."

"Right. London, England," the Doctor murmured as he typed.

Shaking her head, Cora stopped him. "No, not England. Ontario."

"_Canada?_"

Cora bristled. "What's wrong with Canada?"

The Doctor held his hands up in a placating gesture. "Nothing," he defended himself, "I just don't know many Canadians, is all! _Well_, there's Celine Dion. You know, they originally asked _me _to sing that song in 'Titanic.'"

"Really?" asked Cora skeptically.

The Doctor nodded solemnly. "Yup," he popped the 'p,' "but I told them, 'I was _on_ the original ship! This movie isn't accurate! Rose married some fisherman from Arkansas and Jack, well Jack slept in and missed the boat entirely!' So they kicked me out and called up Celine! Can you believe that?"

"Hardly," Cora rolled her eyes.

"It explains your accent, though," the Doctor continued absentmindedly, "You _do _have a funny accent."

Cora scoffed. "Says the _British alien_," she muttered.

The Doctor chuckled. "Touché. So, did anything happen yesterday that was…out of the ordinary?" He scowled when Cora shook her head. "Come on, _anything_? Even something that doesn't seem important?"

Cora thought, hard. "Well," something flittered in her mind, "the guy that delivered my pizza was different. Normally Mike delivers it. He was probably just out sick, though."

Considering this, the Doctor paused. Then, pushing a few buttons and pulling some levers, the TARDIS took off.

Almost immediately, it stopped again.

Cora straightened herself back up. She had been crouched down, holding onto a railing for dear life. They must have moved. "Where are we?" she asked. "Not in London…"

"No, no, no," the Doctor brushed that idea off, heading for the doors. "I wanted to show you something first." Beckoning for her to follow him, he opened the doors.

Cora's jaw hit the floor.

Looking out the TARDIS doors, she saw that they were in deep space. Swirling galaxies, shooting stars, infinite numbers of suns, and planets of every shape, size, and colour surrounded them.

An entire universe in motion.

Any doubts she might have had before, vanished.


	6. Chapter 6 Questions

***Sits on her bed, watching Twilight on her laptop, sobbing***

**It's just so...HORRIBLE! Who WRITES this crap! It's an insult to films EVERYWHERE!**

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**Thanks to everyone who read it! I love you all! **

**So this is kind of a short chapter, but I hope it's worth it anyways!**

**One more thing, I have another Doctor Who story, it's called Thursday Afternoon. If you guys like this story, I think you'd like that one too. You don't have to, but if you want to check it out, it's on my profile. :D**

**Reviews get you a sonic screwdriver for all of your sonicing needs! Open doors! Confuse aliens long enough for you to get away! Build some shelves!**

***stupid_nickel is not liable for any wood related issues you may encounter with your sonic. **

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><p>Chapter 6 - Questions<p>

"So you can basically just…sit here and watch this, then. Every day, for however long you like?"

"Sure. However, it does get old after a while."

"I doubt it."

Looking up at the Doctor, Cora was reminded of a child seeing a rainbow for the first time. He looked so excited and awed. How could he be tired of seeing this?

The Doctor noticed her skeptical expression and shrugged. "I've been around for over ten centuries. I've—most likely—seen the start and end of every planet, star, and universe out there. But, when I'm with someone who's seeing it for the first time, it feels brand new again." His eyes twinkled in delight. "Besides, I've got people to see, worlds to save, and adventures to take. Who has time to sit around watching the stars?" he teased.

"You have a time machine."

"That doesn't mean I have time."

"That makes no sense…"

"Sure it does!"

Cora only rolled her eyes.

* * *

><p>Once Cora had her fill of watching the universe spin around her—okay that was a lie, she didn't think she'd <em>ever <em>get her fill of _that_—the Doctor transported them to her home and landed with a bang.

Literally.

"Geez, Doc, didn't you ever learn how to drive this thing?" Cora complained as she rubbed the lump that was forming on her head. Still dazed from her view into space, she forgot how…let's say "sporadically" the TARDIS flew. She was reminded when her forehead met with the consol.

The Doctor frowned. "First, it's 'the Doctor.' Never, and I mean _never_, 'Doc.' B, or two, or the second little dash that would be on a list, yes. It was a few hundred years ago, mind you—and I didn't exactly _pass _the exam—but I _did _in fact learn to drive her." He shifted his attention to the monitor, looking over the information about what was outside the TARDIS doors.

"You never got a ticket for driving without a license?" Cora pressed. She thought for a moment before frowning to herself. "Do aliens even _get _tickets? Hell, do they even have _law enforcement_? And why would someone even sell you a TARDIS if you can't drive it?"

Raising an eyebrow, the Doctor smirked. "You ask a _lot _of questions, Cora Daniels." Seeing her embarrassment, the Doctor hurriedly explained himself. "Oh no, don't worry, that's a good thing. I like that about you. If you don't ask questions, you can't learn and can't become as brilliant as me! Not that you'll ever be _that _brilliant," he winked.

Cora waited patiently for him to continue.

"The answers are: no, sometimes, yes—they're called the Shadow Proclamation, and they aren't my biggest fans—and they didn't."

"You _stole _it?" Cora's eyes were wide as saucers.

"_Borrowed_. I fully intend to return her."

"When?"

The Doctor's eyes grew dark and took on a faraway look. "Not anytime soon," he murmured before hastily busying himself with the control panel.

Cora's eyebrows pulled together in concern. She had crossed some sort of line, she just didn't know which. Running a hand through her hair, she tried to think of how to make it better, but came up short.

"Hey," she put a hand comfortingly on his shoulder, "you okay?"

When he turned to her, the Doctor had a goofy grin plastered on his face that didn't quite meet his eyes. "'Course I am," he lied, "I'm in Canada! Let's go see about this pizza man, hmm?"

With a sigh, Cora decided to leave the issue alone. Surely he'd talk about it when he was ready…if that moment ever came. She was sure of one thing, though. The expression he'd worn was one of a person who had lost a great deal.

She should know.


	7. Chapter 7 Polluted Proton Particles

**O.O**

**That is my face right now. I can't believe how amazing y'all are! I've been getting SO much feedback, it honestly makes me want to cry! Tears of joy, that is... **

**Thanks to Coyote Soupus and DramaticTurtle (epic names, by the way) for adding The Girl Left Behind to their story alerts!**

**BIG thanks to Cjabbot98 for favoriting!**

**HUGE thanks to MarlyHarkness who favorited and is now stalking...ahem, I mean _following _ME!**

**GIGANTIC thanks to everyone who reviewed! *gives everyone a sonic***

**Power of the Pineapple (seriously, WHERE do you guys come up with these awesome names?)- Thanks! *dons fez* Fezzes are cool!**

**Cjabbot98- yes, yes they are! And thanks :) Took me a bit to figure out what to put there, glad you like it :) It fits him, doesn't it? :P And Ianto may or may not be joining him...you'll have to wait till the end of the author's note ;) OH NO! *whirs own sonic to get FF back up* Phew! I need to be able to post this!**

**MarlyHarkness- Ohh! That makes sense :P Yeah, it can take me a while to start a story, or continue it for that matter. Gotta wait until the mood hits ya just right! And who said anything about MARRYING him? ;) Thanks :)**

**angelloverkk- wow, FOUR NEW REVIEWERS? *does happy dance* YAY! Thanks, I'm glad you like it :) and oh...*blushes* yeah, that's what I meant...not sure why I typed decades... *runs and fixes the last chapter* that should be better now. Thanks for pointing that out! :D**

**E-man-dy-S- yes, yes she does...bwahahahahaha *coughhackcough* ow...I think I sprained my "evil laugh at what is to come in the future" muscle... :/ and no problem :) It's what I'm here for!**

**So, today, reviews get Ianto in the back room. I saw him the other day and he just had to join (read: I chloroformed him, tied him up, threw him in the back of my car, and tied him up next to) Jack. Do with them what you will, but once again, please, nothing causing permanent damage (physical, emotional, mental, and otherwise). I may need them for future bribes!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Chapter 7 – Polluted Proton Particles<p>

As Cora stepped out of the TARDIS, she gasped. They were in her bedroom.

'_I don't think I'll _ever _get used to this…'_

After the initial shock however, she turned a deep shade of crimson. Her room was a _disaster_. Not like a girls-complaining-because-their-bed-is-unmade disaster.

This was one of those holy-crap-did-an-atomic-bomb-go-off-followed-by-a-tornado-a-tsunami-and-the-NFL-tournament-afterwhich-of-course-the-apocolypse-decided-to-happen-in-my-room-while-I-was-away disaster.

Thank God none of her underwear was visible…this time…

"Umm…sorry about, you know, the mess," she stuttered, attempting to clean up a bit.

"Don't touch anything," ordered the Doctor. He began scanning random objects around her room with his screwdriver—books, DVDs, her laundry basket—while clicking his tongue thoughtfully. "I need to scan everything and it can_not_ be contaminated by you touching it. The residual energy from the proton particles polluting your primary pretenses will corrupt my diagnostic observations extraordinarily!" He continued to scan and click his tongue.

Cora blinked at him.

"Uhh…Doctor? English please?"

"That _was _English! Wasn't it? I wasn't speaking Centalian again by mistake, was I?"

Mentally slapping her forehead, Cora rolled her eyes. "I _mean_, I'm only nineteen. Use simple words."

The Doctor sighed deeply. "If you touch anything, the alien molecules in your DNA will rub off on it. It'll muck up my scanning," he simplified.

"Oh."

Cora stood in the middle of the room awkwardly, trying not to touch anything while simultaneously trying to stay out of the Doctor's way.

She wasn't exactly succeeding.

* * *

><p>After a while, the Doctor had scanned everything. "Nothing," he scowled, "not even a blink on the radar!" Turning to Cora, he tilted his head to the side. "What did you do with that pizza box?"<p>

Before she could answer, they heard the front door slam open and a voice call out in a sing-song fashion, "Hellooo!"

Cora froze. The blood drained from her face and her eyes widened comically. "Oh shit."

The Doctor was instantly ready to take on any threat they might face. "What is it? Vashta Nerada? Black sludge creature from the planet LaGoon? Angry Dragon person?" His sonic screwdriver whirred anxiously as he searched for alien life.

"Worse," Cora groaned. "Meg."

"Meg? What's a 'Meg'?"

"Not 'what.' Who."

"Well?"

"My older sister."

"Coraaaa!" Meg called from the other room. "I got the newest 'Cosmo'!"

The Doctor looked confused but Cora shot him a look that said "don't ask."

Sighing, Cora walked out of her room and into the kitchen where her sister was waiting.

Looking at the two, no one would guess that Cora and Meg were related. They were polar opposites. While Cora's straight, black hair didn't quite reach her shoulders, Meg's yellow curls descended halfway down her back. Cora's eyes were bright green while Meg's were a brilliant blue. Meg was the outgoing one—she had a large group of friends, tried out for _every_thing, and liked to go out at night. Cora was more held back—a couple close friends, didn't want to get rejected, and preferred a good book or browsing the internet.

Not to mention Meg was two years older, had a great boyfriend, and a perfect career in place while Cora was single and had yet to start university.

"Hey, Meg," Cora greeted her sister. "I thought you were at work."

Meg wrapped her arms around Cora and giggled. "They let me go early! The restaurant was dead."

"Oh, well umm…I was just…"

"Hi there!" Meg had somehow gone from bubbly to bubblier. She waved to the Doctor, who had followed Cora and was standing behind her. "Sorry, Cor, I didn't realize you had company!" She grinned slyly and gave Cora a terrifying look.

The look Meg had mastered.

The look that had girls running for the hills.

The look that only mothers, best friends, and older sisters could pull off perfectly.

It was the look that said, "A _boy_! Youare _so _going to tell me _everything _about him later!"

Meg held out her hand, ever the polite hostess. "I'm Meg Daniels," she smiled.

The Doctor took her hand in his and shook it. "Nice to meet you, Meg Daniels. I'm the—John," he corrected himself quickly. "John Smith."

"Nice to meet you." Meg turned to Cora. "Well, I've got that…thing…to take care of…I'll be back later, Cor."

When the Doctor's attention was elsewhere, Meg mouthed to Cora _"He's cute!" _Then, raising an eyebrow, _"Bowtie? Seriously?"_

Cora rolled her eyes and Meg strode out the door, barely pausing to call a quick "Bye!" over her shoulder.

"Well she seemed…nice."

"Shaddup."

The doorbell chose that moment to ring.

'_Geez, I'm popular today,' _Cora thought curtly.

"Pizza box is in the recycle bin under the sink," she informed the Doctor. "I'm just gonna get the door."

"Okay!"

Cora opened the door to see a woman, probably in her thirties, standing outside. She was looking down at a gadget she couldn't put a name to.

When she heard the door open, the woman looked up, brushing her dark, medium-length hair from her face. Looking down at her gadget again, then back to Cora, she gave her an apologetic smile. "Hello."

"Hi." Cora couldn't quite place her accent. Not quite British…maybe Welsh?

Her train of thought was interrupted when she felt a surge of electricity go through her body—it felt strongest in one area on the right side of her abdomen—and everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>AN.2**

**Just to let you know, when I say "The residual energy from the proton particles polluting your primary pretenses will corrupt my diagnostic observations extraordinarily!" I have absolutely no clue what it means. I just thought it sounded Doctor-y.**


	8. Chapter 8 Invisible

**Hello everybody! Big thanks to everyone for reading and for the awesome feedback!**

**Thanks to TheGirlWithTheOnyxRose for following the story and to Cjabbott98 for following and favoriting ME! (following and favoriting me...doesn't that sound a bit, i dunno, stalkerish?)**

**TheGirlWhoImagined- Yeah, you're right! Haha I think the only reason she's my second favorite welsh (Ianto is totally first!) is because I only know the two xD**

**sashaxh- Okay, I won't tell you...buuuuuuut unfortunately, they are! I wonder what they're up to!**

**Cjabbott98- Hey man, I think it's the other way around! I described MY room! And I totally agree! Meg needs to get some good fashion advice! And maybe a fez...don't worry, I've found myself saying things like oi and bloody hell. I'm canadian...so yeah, theres that... Haha, american television? Like Jersey Shore? I don't think so! And it totally was her ;) She might not electrocute her, but you have to wonder, Cora never looked to see WHAT she was electrocuted WITH...hmmm...think about it. You'll find out later ;)**

**And finally, HUGE super-mega-foxy-awesome-hot-fantastic thank yous and hugs go out to Cjabbott98 for giving me her thoughts on this chapter (I hope I described Ianto good enough for you :P ) and to TheGirlWhoImagined for editing it and making it sound SUPER awesome and professional! Thank you both SO MUCH!**

**Today, reviews will get you one, and I repeat, ONE, free ride in the TARDIS. You can go anywhere and anywhen you like! Try not to create any paradoxes, and let me know in the reviews where/when you go!**

***Doctor not necessarily included. Please see your retailer for details.**

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><p>Chapter 8 – Invisible<p>

Cora woke up slowly. _'Ungh…what the hell happened?'_ She was lying on her back…somewhere. She rolled over to get up. _Slam! _Her eyes flew open with a shriek when she fell…about a foot to the floor. Cora looked around groaning, glaring up at the couch she'd been lying on. How'd she get there?

"Smooth move exlax," she muttered to herself, sitting up. Taking in her surroundings, Cora frowned. She wasn't happy for a number of reasons. One, she was sore from landing on the floor. Two, her side hurt from being electrocuted. Three, she had been kidnapped. _Actually_ _kidnapped_. And four, she didn't know where the Doctor was.

Cora started to search her pockets. _'Great,'_ she harrumphed, _'they stole my cell. Now how am I gonna reach the Doctor?'  
><em>  
><em>'You don't know his number anyways, idiot,'<em> a small voice in the back of her mind argued. _'Shut up! I could call my house!'_

'Who's to say he'd answer?'

'…'

Cora pulled her knees up to her chest. What now? As her breathing hitched, she tried to calm herself down. She didn't want to panic. If she panicked, she'd turn invisi— She slapped her forehead. "Oh, duh."

Cora concentrated on becoming see-through. After all, she had yet to try it willingly so she wasn't sure if it'd work. A wide grin spread across her face when she looked down and couldn't see herself. Standing up, she decided to take a look around. Now she could escape with no worries.

Almost immediately she stumbled back as a young handsome man, in a pinstripe suit, walked towards her. He had dark hair and eyes, a boyish face—that was _actually_ pretty hot—and an earpiece on. In his hands he was carrying tray with a few steaming mugs, some cream, and some sugar packets. Quickly moving to the side she held her breath when he walked past her. _'Time to move it!'_

She had only moved a few feet when she heard the tray clatter to the ground, mugs smashing against the floor. He stared at the now empty room, realizing that she was missing.

"Oh no," she heard him murmur. "Oh no, no, no, no!" His accent was similar to the dark-haired woman who had electrocuted her. He must be Welsh too. "Tosh!" he shouted as he raced past her. Cora watched as he ran across the grating towards an area with a few desks and multiple computers. He pulled out a gun from underneath his suit. _'Not good!'_

Cora started making her way to the far side of...wherever she was, keeping as quiet as possible. Inching towards what looked to be an exit. The Welshmen ran up to a short Asian woman, who was dressed in a casual pair of jeans and a nice blouse. He spoke quickly to her, his eyes wide as he frantically scanned the room. Cora couldn't hear the specifics of the conversation, but she assumed it was about her. The woman's eyes grew large to whatever had been said and she immediately hit a button on one of the computers in front of her.

Instantly, lights started to flash as an alarm sounded. Two people ran in—the woman from her house and a casually-dressed man—just in time for the doors to close and presumably lock. Whatever facility she was in was now on lock-down. _'Oh, this is so not good.'_

All four of her kidnappers had taken out guns. They were searching around the large, contained area. For Cora. Her heart started to race. She had _no_ _idea_what to do. Thankfully, she was still invisible. "Come out, come out wherever you are!" the casual-dress man called out snarkily. His accent was distinctly different from the other two. It was British and seemed to hint that his personality might be the sarcastic joking type.

Cora backed away as the four drew closer. She kept going, her eyes trained on them. Until she backed into something solid. _'Please be a wall, please be a wall, please be a wall!'_Shaking, Cora turned around to see the man she had bumped into. Her blood ran cold.

The man was tall—and _supremely_ hot! He had dark hair, blue eyes, and an adorable dimple in his chin. He was wearing dress pants with suspenders, a light blue dress shirt, and a dark blue military jacket. He stood, one hand in his pocket while he peered at a wrist strap on his other arm. He grinned crookedly and looked directly down at Cora. She gulped. She followed his gaze, studying herself. _'Yup, still invisible.'  
><em>  
>Nevertheless, the man smiled at her. "Well, <em>hello<em> there," he grinned loudly. "Nice to finally run into you!"

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><p><strong>One final thing, make sure you keep reviewing! Why you may ask? Well, in a few chapters (I'm not sure which one yet, but SOON), I'm going to be mentioning one of my reviewers. I'm not sure how quite yet, we shall see when we get there, but I'll give you the details in the chapter before you'll be featured. Good luck!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9 Torchwood

**Hola people! What's up? Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Seriously, I love you guys! Everyone gets one free ride in the TARDIS. Please form a single file line, no running. HEY! I said NO RUNNING! *sigh* Can someone get a mop? We've got a bit of a mess to clean up...**

**Thank you for choosing to stalk my story :)**

**Cjabbott98- Felspoon would be cool! Mountains that move? Sick! You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed the description :P *bows* haha thanks, I thought it was clever. Lol phew! Good. I was worried you might be a Jersey Shorer for a minute. I should never have doubted you! *begs forgiveness***

**DramaticTurtle- Thank you so much! :) I can't wait to keep writing this story. It's seriously so much fun. I'm honestly finding myself wanting to go home every day, JUST to work on it!**

**sashaxh- Lol yeah, Cora's thinking somewhat along those lines, I just don't think she's quite gutsy enough to say it :P **

**Coyote Soupus- YAY JACK! *happy dance* he definitely is, isn't he? :P *swoons* *holds up hands in defense* Woah man, not trying to offend or anything :P I watch american shows all the time! (Supernatural anyone?) But you have to admit, British tv has some of the best shows. Merlin, Sherlock, Doctor Who, Torchwood, the list goes on!**

** - Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it :) And I'll be sure to keep writing :) Let me know when you come up with something threatening so that I can remember to cower in fear :)**

**E-man-dy-S- She IS having quite the day, isn't she? No problem, it's what I do :)**

**TheGirlWhoImagined- NOBODY THAT'S WHO! I'm pretty sure EVERYONE likes two Doctors! This chapter was pretty fun to write. Not sure if there's much flirting from Jack...maybe a little bit :P Let me know what you think :)**

**PHEW! So many reviews! I LOVE THEM ALL! So? Love it? Hate it? Want to throw it into a black hole along with the TARDIS manual? Only like it as a friend? Let me know! Reviews today will get you a Vortex Manipulator. It's like your very own TARDIS on your wrist! Be like Jack and River! Travel through time and space! Scan stuff! Do...other stuff with it! **

***Vortex Manipulator is not guaranteed to get you onto the TARDIS. The Doctor may have updated his security system. stupid_nickel is not responsible for any injuries, maiming, paradoxes, invasions, or EXTERMINATING that may occur whilst using said Vortex Manipulator.**

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><p>Chapter 9 – Torchwood<p>

The Doctor was digging through the recycle bin, half of his torso somehow jammed under the sink. He wondered why he hadn't simply taken the bin _out_, to look through it, but quickly dismissed the thought. Oh well, he was too stubborn to do it now.

Finally, he found what he was looking for. In a grand gesture, he pulled the pizza box away from the rest of the recycling and straightened up. Reminded by the sharp pain in his head that he was, in fact, still under the sink, he corrected himself. "Should have seen that coming," the Doctor murmured.

The box looked normal enough—it was a regular, 21st century Earth pizza box. Grabbing his sonic screwdriver from his pocket, the Doctor started to scan, humming tunelessly. A few moments later, he had his results. Peering at his screwdriver, the Doctor frowned. "That is very not good," he whispered.

"Cora!" he called, not looking away from his sonic. "Cora, I really think you should take a look at this!" When she didn't reply, the Doctor looked towards the door. "I did some scans," he digressed. "There was an unidentifiable bacterium in the pizza's cheese! When you ate it, they made their way into your DNA, infecting it with the perception filter!" The Doctor growled when he _still _didn't get an answer. "Cora, are you _listening _to me? Someone created a new species, just to infect you! I don't think you realize just how serious this situation—"

He stopped short as he peered around the corner. There was no one at the front door. _'Maybe she just went outside for a bit,' _The Doctor tried to convince himself, though he knew he was lying. His suspicions were confirmed when he popped his head out the door. Cora was nowhere to be found.

Muttering a few choice words, the Doctor raced for his TARDIS.

* * *

><p>Cora gaped at the man standing in front of her. She was still invisible, so how was he looking directly at her?<p>

"I can't actually _see _you," the man said smirking, his American accent quite apparent, "but I do know that you're there." He tapped his wrist strap. "This little beauty is good for quite a few things: manipulating the Vortex, running scans, controlling tech, and even showing me creatures' body heat. That makes it easy for me to see you, without actually _seeing _you." Cora leaned over slightly, just enough to look at his gadget. Sure enough, there was a blob of red, orange, and yellow where she was standing. _'Well damn.' _There wasn't any escaping then. Cora's face fell.

"So," the man's voice broke the silence, running a hand through his hair, "here's how this is going to work. You play nice, and we will too. Otherwise…" he trailed off, leaving Cora to her imagination. She didn't like what she came up with. She sighed in defeat, she concentrated.

A wide grin broke across the man's face when she regained her visibility. She smiled up at him nervously. "Hi."

'"_Hi"? Seriously? He _kidnapped _you and you say hi.'_

'_Well, what else am I supposed to say?'_ she argued with herself. _'Uh, I dunno, maybe something along the lines of "Hey, jackass, why the hell did you kidnap me? Just FYI, the Doctor's going to find me and then you'll be in trouble!"'_

'…_They have guns, genius. And there's five of them. How well did you think this plan through?'_

'…'

The man took in her appearance for the first time, a sly grin on his face. "Hi yourself." Cora couldn't help herself. She blushed. _'Damn him and his good looks.' _He motioned to his the others and they put away their guns. Cora visibly relaxed. It was quite distracting having a firearm trained on you. The man held his hand out to her. "Captain Jack Harkness," he introduced himself.

Cora berated herself for the giggle that escaped her lips. "Cora Daniels."

"Well, Cora," Jack put an arm around her shoulders and gestured around them. "Welcome to the Hub. My team and I, we make up an organization called Torchwood. We basically investigate any alien incidents on Earth." Torchwood—Torchwood _Three_,to be specific—was located in Cardiff, London. Cora was in London. _'Wow.'_ She couldn't believe it! Well, after thinking about it, Cora decided that she _could _believe it. Especially after the day she'd been having.

Pointing to each of his team members in turn, Jack introduced them.

The small Asian woman was Toshiko Sato—better known as Tosh. She was the technical expert and supposed computer genius, explaining why she had returned to the computers immediately after being introduced.

The woman who electrocuted Cora—or as she now knew, tasered—was Gwen Cooper. She was the newest addition to Torchwood, having previously been a police officer, and was a field agent. Gwen smiled sheepishly at Cora and apologized. "It just needed to be quick and quiet, you know?" she justified. Cora didn't agree.

Captain Sarcasm standing in the corner was Owen Harper. He was a field agent, like Gwen, but also their medical officer. He gave off a snarky, sarcastic, and narcissistic vibe. Owen walked over to her and checked out the burn on her side, making sure it wasn't too bad. Gwen offered Cora another apologetic smile. "What happened there?" Owen asked, noticing the scarf tied around Cora's ankle.

She shrugged. "I dunno."

Owen whistled in appreciation. "Well whoever tied it knows their stuff." He then proceeded to re-wrap her ankle in a tensor bandage.

"And this here is Ianto Jones, our general support officer and coffee-maker extraordinaire!" Cora started. Ianto was standing in front of them with another tray of steaming mugs. _'Wasn't he just…when did he…but…huh?'_ Hadn't Ianto _just _been in the room? When did he have time to get drinks? Ianto noticed Cora's shock and winked cheekily.

"Coffees all around," he called out. The other team members quickly came and grabbed their designated mug before returning to their work. Ianto smiled and handed Cora a mug.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I don't like coffee," she apologized, giving it back to him. She felt bad for refusing it, though. Even if they'd kidnapped her, they were still being extremely nice. What had they done to earn her mistrust?

Okay, besides the kidnapping and the guns. But it wasn't like they had actually _shot _her, right?

Ianto chuckled and handed it back to her. "It's tea. Everyone likes tea. Makes you feel better!"

"Thanks." Cora smiled as she took a sip of the steaming liquid. She _did _love tea. As the warmth flowed through her body, she relaxed even more. Jack, Ianto and her ended up sitting on the couch, chatting. A light bulb went off in Cora's mind once her mug was empty.

"Not to be rude," she started tentatively, "but why am I here?"

Jack smiled. _'Seriously, doesn't he ever frown?'_ "We just need to ask you a few questions."

"You could've just done that at my house, you know."

Ianto laughed while Jack's lips twitched. "This is a bit more…private."

Cora rolled her eyes. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

"Let's start easy. What are you thinking right now?" Cora's eyebrows pulled together. _'Uh, that's kind of a weird question…'_

"I think that's a weird question. Also, you're really hot. Ianto is too, although you probably already know that." Cora's mouth snapped shut and her face reddened. Why the hell did she say _that_?


	10. Chapter 10 Veritaserum

**Hey guys. Are you there? Are people still reading this? :S I am slowly getting less reviews. It's kind of depressing. It's not even the encouragement that I need, but the feedback you give. Constructive criticism is welcomed. If you like it, love it, hate it, think it's like the annoying kid who sits in the back of the class picking his nose, or just like new york as a friend, I want to know! :D**

**TheGirlWhoImagined- Yes, yes they did! *evil laugh* Poor Cora, everything I'm putting her through! Ahh, yes, the dreaded first time. I suppose you're right...and yeah, that did sound dirty...but, I'd probably LOVE anything Jack comes up with... ;)**

**Cjabbott98- CORRECT! dingdingding! You just won a MILLION DOLLARS! YAY! Oh really? huh...did not know that...but neither does Cora so I suppose this works to her advantage... *is too lazy to change it* He totally is a sexy ninja in a suit! I watched the show and was like, he is TOTALLY a ninja. How else could he be that awesome? *sigh* *yells into back room* CAN SOMEONE GET A BROOM, PLEASE?**

**So, random bit of knowledge, I just learned that Torchwood is an anagram for Doctor Who. Huh. *cue rainbow and "the more you know"***

**Also, no Doctor Who give aways today...something different! A CONTEST! Check it out at the bottom!**

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><p>Chapter 10 - Veritaserum<p>

Cora had just called two members of Torchwood "hot." She just called Jack and Ianto _hot_. _Cora _had essentially just described to Captain Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones her feelings on their appearances.

No matter how many times she thought about it, she couldn't believe it! "Did I just say that out loud?" she asked.

Jack nodded his head, his lips twitching as he held back a smirk. "Yup." An evil glint appeared in his eyes. "What about Owen?" he asked feigning innocence.

"Yeah, he's pretty hot too, but a bit too snarky for my taste." Cora clapped her hands over her mouth. Her eyes were the size of saucers as she chastised herself. What the hell? Why wasn't her brain-to-mouth filter _working_? "W-why did I s-say that?" she stuttered, her embarrassment and confusion messing up her speech patterns.

"Because it's working," Jack shrugged.

"What is?"

Captain Harkness grinned ear to ear. "It's this new drug we invented!" he told her excitedly. "Owen decided to call it Veritaserum, like in Harry Potter. I think it's pretty fitting, don't you?"

"You _drugged _me?" They _drugged _her! Who the hell did they think they were? _'Well, they did kidnap you,' _she reminded herself. Okay, fine, but how—

Cora gasped and looked down at the mug she was holding. The tea! They drugged the tea! _'IDIOT!' _she cursed herself. _'The number one rule of being kidnapped is DON'T drink or eat anything they give you!'_

Ianto looked at Cora's face, contorted with shame and frustration. "Aww, come on," he tried to placate her, "it's not your fault. Don't beat yourself up about it." _'…wish I could beat up YOU…' _ "We just want to ask a few questions."

Cora jumped to her feet. "Then you _ask me some bloody questions_!" she exploded. "You can't just _drug _someone! That's how you end up spending the entire next day searching for your _pants_! _In the middle of town!_"

'_Dammit, why did I SAY that?'_

By that point, Owen had decided to join them. The three boys were sniggering at her outburst while Cora glared at them. "I hate you right now."

Jack finally calmed down long enough to talk to her. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. Down to business.

"What's your name?"

Fine. She had to tell the truth? Didn't mean she couldn't be snarky at the same time. "Cora."

"Your _full _name," Jack sighed at her decision to be difficult.

"Coraline Jackline Daniels." Cora glowered at them.

Ianto raised an eyebrow at this. "Hit a nerve, did we?"

"Aside from the fact that I've been kidnapped, drugged, and have to tell you the truth and basically everything on my mind, I'm peachy. Also I don't like my middle name."

Jack rolled his eyes and continued. "Where are you from, Cora?"

"London, Ontario, Canada. Would you like me to tell you the planet as well?" Cora crossed her arms and looked at them, deadpanned. "Earth. Oh, and I'm human by the way, seeing as that was probably your next question."

"What about your parents?"

Cora gulped. She really didn't want to go there. "Human."

"Did they work for any government agencies?"

"No."

"What's the weirdest thing you've ever done?"

Cora glared at Owen who had decided to jump in with a question of his own. The smarmy bastard was going to be a dick about the damn truth serum. Knowing that she couldn't lie to him, and that she ended up blurting everything out anyways, she sighed. "I ate a live goldfish on a dare."

Owen guffawed while Ianto looked at her, disgusted. "Why? What did the poor fish ever do to you?"

"It was a dare," Cora reasoned with a shrug. "And that fish had it coming! It _bit _me!"

Owen laughed harder. "How the hell do you get bit by a fish?"

Thankfully, Cora was saved from answering by a wheezing and wooshing sound. All four heads whipped to the spot where the TARDIS materialized. Cora and Jack were on their feet in an instant. "Doctor!" they cried out together. Cora sprinted for the TARDIS and tackled the Doctor in a hug as he walked out the doors.

The Doctor chuckled. "So you're alright then? Cora, what happened?" _'Oh no.'_

"Well, when the doorbell rang, I went and answered it. There was a lady there—her name's Gwen—and she asked me if I was me and I said yes and then she tasered me and kidnapped me. _Then _I woke up here on a couch but I rolled over and fell onto the floor and started to fre—" Thankfully, Jack stopped her ramblings by putting a hand over her mouth. He looked the Doctor up and down before speaking.

"Doctor?" he asked carefully. When he received a nod, his face lit up. "DOCTOR!" he crowed, "It's good to see you! You've regenerated, eh? I like it."

"Jack," the Doctor warned, "Don't. I'm married now."

Jack sighed. "Too bad, but, a man can dream, can't he?"

Tired of having a hand over her mouth, Cora licked it.

"Ack! She _licked _me!"

"You guys know each other?"

"Oh, me and Jack go _way _back."

"You _licked _me! I can't believe it!"

Cora turned to Jack—who was currently wiping his hand on his pant leg, absolutely horrified—and scoffed. "It wasn't exactly what _I _wanted either, _Captain Jack Harkness_! But I wanted your hand off my face! It tasted weird, by the way, salty and gross and _when is this stupid truth crap gonna wear off?_"

The Doctor glared at Jack. "_Truth _stuff? Jack, did you _drug _her?" Cora nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, he did, and Ianto and Owen and Tosh and Gwen probably all helped too."

Jack ran a hand through his hair. "Look, Doctor. My team and I found a huge jump in space-time energy earlier on. Even bigger than the TARDIS. But when we went after it, it disappeared. Off the radar, just like that," he clicked his fingers together. "However, Cora here started radiating some of that energy and we needed—"

"—to find out what she knew," the Doctor finished for him, his frown increasing. "But she doesn't know anything!" he protested. "It's in her DNA, someone created a new form of bacteria, just to infect her with a perception filter. I'm just not sure why." The Doctor scratched his chin thoughtfully.

Jack turned back to Cora. "This is why we need you," he explained, "to figure this out!"

"But I don't know anything!"

"Even something insignificant might help," Jack pleaded, "just a few more questions."

Cora was about to protest when she saw the Doctor smile encouragingly. "Fine," she sighed, "but only because the Doctor says it's cool."

"What do your parents do?"

Cora immediately regretted giving her consent. Now they were treading in dangerous waters. Tears pricked at her eyes. "My dad's in jail."

"And mom?"

"Dead."

Jack sucked in a breath. He hadn't expected that. Damn, poor kid.

"I'm so sorry," said the Doctor.

"Yeah, me too, Cora. I didn't know." And before he could stop it, "What happened?" Jack immediately realized what he'd done. He felt like a horrible person. But, the question was out there.

And Cora had to answer.

* * *

><p><strong>So, about the contest. The winner will somehow end up in the next chapter or so. (Im not sure how yet). Here's the deal. Something in this chapter is true. It might be something that I've said before, something that I've done, something that's happened to me, or a bit of knowledge about me. It could be revealed by something one of the characters says, does, or other. <strong>

**The first person to guess correctly (if there's several people) will be the winner. Good luck guys! Review to win!**


	11. Chapter 11 Coyote Soupus

**Wow! So many people to thank! First, though, Congrats to Coyote Soupus who was the first to guess correctly! She requested a bit of a Supernatural cross-over, so hopefully this works out! Yes, I did eat a live goldfish on a dare. Long story for another time. The pants story happened to my friend. We were all sober, she was in a dress. Me and her go into the bathroom and a minute later she starts freaking out because she can't find her pants. So of course, being the good friends me and the others are, we walked around town helping her "look" for them. Once she remembered she was in a dress and therefore didn't HAVE pants, she was pissed. SO worth it! xD**

**Also, just to let you guys know, my mom is alive and well, and my dad isn't in jail. I DO however live with my sister, but that's for university purposes.**

**So, let's make a couple lists, shall we?! **

**For Favoriting the Story: SomerPassion, ivy-pond, and Kimikono. *hugs everyone***

**For Stalking the Story: SomerPassion, ArcticCactus, stateofadaydream723, ivy-pond, KeyInTheTARDIS, Kimikono, Mimi-loves-llamas, PhoenixLoveStory, and Sylanc. *super-hugs everyone***

**For Favoriting Me- SomerPassion and Kimikono. *tackle-hugs you both***

**For Stalking Me- SomerPassion and Kimikono. *backs away slowly***

**I apologize if I missed anyone.**

**Coyote Soupus- I really hope that you like what I did here :D and yes. I definitely want to boop the Doctor's nose.**

**neva-chanluvsmonsters101- so close. 2nd place :)**

**TheGirlWhoImagined- yeah, I heard about that! They heat the water up and add blobs of batter to it. The fish swim into the batter and get stuck and cooked. weird, but still kinda cool. **

**Mimi-loves-llamas- Wow, you have no clue how much that means to me. Seriously. Thank you!**

**SAMANTHA SMITH- haha good guess :)**

**Kimikono- not quite, but thank you so much!**

**Alrighty I believe that's everyone...**

**WAIT! A HUGEGIGANTICMEGASUPERAWESOME hug goes out to TheGirlWhoImagined who has offered to edit the rest of this story and is doing a FANTASTIC job so far! You are incredable and everyone should seriously go and check out her stories. They rock!**

**Reviews today get you a Coyote Soupus. Don't they just sound ADORABLE?!****

****The species, not the person.**

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><p>Chapter 11 – Coyote Soupus<p>

Cora squeezed her eyes shut and tried to hold back the tears threatening to spill. The damn Veritaserum was going to make her answer. She wished it wouldn't, wished someone would stop her, but at the same time she _wanted_ to answer. She hadn't _ever_ talked about the bad things in her life. She held them back, buried them deep down where people wouldn't see them. Maybe it was time to let go.

She sucked in a deep breath, "Three years ago, my mom and I got into a car accident. She was driving me to see a play a friend of mine was in and we were arguing. I can't even remember what that stupid fight was about. About five minutes from the theatre, the driver's side of our car was t-boned by a semi-truck and we were both knocked unconscious. I woke up later in the hospital. She didn't. My dad blamed her death on me, and he was right. If I hadn't started a fight with her, she would have seen the truck. If I hadn't begged her to bring me, it wouldn't have happened. If I hadn't taken the extra minute to run back into the house after forgetting my purse, we would have missed it."

Cora took in another ragged breath as the memories sprang forth, "After she died, my dad started drinking. He would be out all hours of the night at the bar, but sometimes he would come home. And when he did he'd be drunk, enraged, screaming worst of things at me. Things I myself thought. He'd tell me that I should be the one dead instead of mom, letting me know what a horrible child I was, wishing I had never been born. And one night, it got really bad and he came at me."

Absentmindedly, Cora ran her hand over a long, jagged scar running along her forearm, "I woke up in the hospital the next morning, and for a brief moment I'd thought it'd just been a horrible dream. That maybe she was still alive, recovering in the room next to me. But that was just wishful thinking. I guess the neighbors heard the screaming and called the cops. It's all sort of fuzzy. So, in total, my mom is dead, my dad's in jail, and my sister has to work two jobs to keep us going. And it's all my fault."

Cora hung her head in shame. The guilt coursed through her body and then she was suddenly reminded why she kept this a secret. Why she never told anyone. She wouldn't blame them if they hated her. After all, if she hated herself how could they not as well. So she was shocked to find herself wrapped in the arms Doctor, engulfed in a big bear-hug. When he pulled away from her, he held her shoulders at arm's length, gazing into her eyes seriously. "Listen to me," he commanded, "none of that was your fault. Believe me, it could have happened at anytime, anywhere, and you might not have even been involved. Sometimes, bad things happen to good people. I know it isn't fair and it can never be changed, but we have to keep going. If not for ourselves, then for those we've lost."

Cora narrowed her eyes at the Doctor, "Says the man that can change everything."

He shook his head. His eyes weighed the loss that came with a long life, "Not everything. Believe me I couldn't go back and change that, no matter how much I'd like to. Trust me when I say, a paradox isn't something to be messed with."

Cora looked down, blame written all over her face. The Doctor sighed in exasperation, "What is it with you humans anyways?! You're always blaming yourselves for things out of your control! You, Cora Daniels, remind me of two brothers I once met. They were out hunting what they thought was a werewolf. Dead bodies all over the place, hearts missing, it was a mess. But I showed them it was actually a Coyote Soupus—a dog-like creature from the planet Kay-nien—they look sort of like a German Shepard, but completely blue! This one was just a puppy, romping around in a park after accidentally ending up there. She'd heard someone scream and went to find answers! Being a child she was just curious. The brothers, oh they thought she was some sort of monster, but the Coyote Soupuses only eat half-eaten hamburgers and left-over macaroni and cheese! So after some explanation to the boys I sent her back home to her parents. Though there was a werewolf there as well, but that's beside the point. Anyways! What was I saying…Oh yes, right! Those two brothers—what were their names…Sean and Dan? No…I'll think of it later—they blamed themselves for everything. Honestly, someone would die on the other side of the planet and they would think it somehow their fault. They even thought they caused the apocalypse! Can you imagine that? Granted, they sort of did but—,"

Jack interrupted his rambling, "Doctor?"

"Yes Jack?"

"Shut up."

Seeing the Doctor's dejected looking face, Cora surprised herself with something she hadn't truly done in a long time.

She laughed.


	12. Chapter 12 Needles

**Hello again, my fabulous readers! How's everyone doing today?**

**Hugs to Dragonjewel25 for stalking the story! yay!**

**TheGirlWhoImagined- apologizing for missing two things? When you made everything else 30 times more fabulous?! Psh! Please! You rock!**

**Power of the Pineapple- Thanks! Your name is as cool as a fez!**

**neva-chanluvsmonsters101- yeah, sorry hun. Thanks so much! That makes me really happy to hear. I've been told before that I sometimes create a Mary-Sue so I'm trying really hard not to here. Glad you like it so much! And stalking me in a good way? Is there such a thing? ...OF COURSE!**

**Coyote Soupus- haha yeah, I have those lazy days too :P haha, you like it that much? Thanks! I was like "hmm...how to make a superwho crossover with Coyote Soupus...sounds like some sort of space dog...!" Lol. One question: what does "canon" mean?**

**Mimi-loves-llamas- thanks! Can I say one thing? I feel as though the word "loves" in your name should have two "l"s. Does that make me weird? It would match the word "llamas" then...my brain is tired :/**

**SomerPassion- *falls to the floor* well I probably should have seen that coming... thanks...uhh...dear... glad you like it :P**

**Lol so another round of applause to TheGirlWhoImagined for editing again. I love what you did to it! Seriously guys, if you haven't checked out her stories yet, do it. They're fantabulous!**

**Umm...Reviews today will get you the Doctor's leather jacket (the one 9 wore and 10 wore the first time we see him).***

***Jacket may or may not include said Doctors. They might not both fit in it at once.**

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><p>Chapter 12 – Needles<p>

Cora stopped giggling after a few minutes. God, she'd missed the feeling. It'd been _way_ too long! She wiped any remaining tears of mirth from her eyes and sighed. It was time to get back to business. "Doctor," she asked, "what did you mean; someone created a new bacteria to infect me with a perception filter? Will it wear off? Can my body fight it off? Will it...kill me?"

The Doctor sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, frustrated that he had no answers for her. "I don't know, Cora. I wish I did, but I just don't know."

During some point of their laugh-fest, Owen had sauntered over, followed by Ianto. Owen had gotten bored of waiting for Jack and Cora to return, so he decided to join them himself. And Ianto wanted to keep their medical examiner from doing anything stupid. Jack grinned from ear to ear at the group. _Seriously, _thought Cora, _doesn't he ever frown? _"Aha! Doctor, I want you to meet Owen, our chief medical officer, and I believe you've already met Ianto. Guys, this is the Doctor."

Owen gave the Time Lord a little half wave, "Hey."

Ianto, however reached out to shake his hand, "pleasure."

Jack looked around for a minute, searching for something, the corners of his mouth turning down slightly. _'Bingo!' _Cora smirked. "Where's Tosh and Gwen?" he asked. Owen jerked a thumb towards the door, "They went to round up a Weevel. No big deal."

Jack nodded thoughtfully as Cora peered at Owen warily when his gaze fixed upon her. She was worried he would ask her another embarrassing question. Yet she was surprised when that wasn't the case; her secrets safe for now. He crossed his arms, "About that bacteria thing, I've got a bit of an idea."

* * *

><p>"I've got to stop going along with everything you guys say," Cora sighed from her perch on the metal slab. The Veritaserum had worn off—<em>finally<em>—but she was, once again, hooked up to a bunch of machines. Perfect. "Seriously, why do I let you talk me into this?"

Owen smirked, "Because you think we're hot."

He chuckled at Cora's discomfort, her cheeks reddened. Damn, _that _wasn't going to be forgotten anytime soon. For about the tenth time that day, she cursed the truth serum. "Anyways," Owen continued, "this is all perfectly safe. Completely harmless."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

Cora sighed again—this time in relief, "Well good, at least I won't be worried about exploding or dying or having my brain _fried_ by the 'Thing-A-Majig.'"

"Thing-A-Ma_bob_, Cora. Not jig," the Doctor clarified looking up from fiddling with a nob. Cora rolled her eyes, _there's a difference_. She tried examining all the wires connected to her body. Heart-rate monitors, temperature scanners, and a few other odds and ends she had no names for, but they all looked like regular hospital things—how much harm could they cause?

"Alright, so I ran a few scans, and if I'm right, this dye should light up the bacteria on an x-ray," Owen stated slowly approaching her while tapping on a syringe, releasing the air bubbles. Her eyes widened comically as she scooted backwards away from him. She did _not_ agree to _that_! Jack braced his arms behind her on the gurney blocking her retreat, keeping her seated on the exam table. "What's wrong," he asked from over her shoulder, concern leaking into his voice. Cora only shook her head as she tried to escape his firm grasp, her eyes never leaving Owen's hands. Jack followed her gaze. He stifled a laugh as he understood, "Scared of needles?"

Cora heard the amusement in his tone and scowled. "No, I just don't particularly _like _them!"

She struggled against Jack but he firmly held her in place as Owen advanced. She jabbed a finger in his direction, "Harper, you keep that freaking needle away from me or I _swear_ you'll _never _have children!"

He raised an eyebrow at the threat smirking once again at her expense. Ignoring her he moved closer, only to jump back a moment later. Cora lashed out at him, kicking wildly like a mule. He narrowly escaped losing his masculinity as she almost broke free from Jack!

"Ianto, could ya' get her legs," Owen barked out glaring at her. When she was fully restrained, he injected the needle into her arm. Cora winced at the small prick it came with. "Baby," Owen muttered.

"Dare you to say that again when I'm free," she glared from Jacks vice grip. Owen quickly walked out of reach over to one of the machine.

After a few minutes of waiting for the dye to spread through her body, he took a few x-rays. The room gasped at the results. Her entire body was lit up—the bacteria were _everywhere_. Ianto let out a low whistle, "Sorry, Cora, but I don't think you're going to be fighting _that _off."

Cora groaned. Great, just great. "Don't worry, Cora," the Doctor patted her back reassuringly, "we'll figure something out."

"Oh, hey. Doctor," Jack turned to him, "would you mind checking something out before you go? Something slipped through the Rift and we can't figure out what it is."

The Doctor nodded and gave Cora the TARDIS key, assuring her that he'd be there in just a couple seconds. She nodded and headed towards the blue box, questions filling her mind. Why was this happening? Who would do this? What now? And why _her_?

Shutting the door behind her with a soft click something caught her attention. Cora looked up and gasped. What the hell?

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, the Doctor sauntered into the TARDIS, grinning like a madman. Jack had found a sonic <em>potato<em>. He laughed. Who'd make such a silly thing? However, he paused as he found Cora blankly staring off down a hallway. "Cora," the Doctor spoke carefully. She spun around and smiled at him, "Ready to go?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her sudden change in emotion, "What were you staring at?"

He had a bad feeling—something nagging in the back of his mind. Something was off. She shrugged, "Just off in my own little world, I guess." She grinned over at him, "So, what's the plan?"


	13. Chapter 13 Voice Message

**Hey guys! What's up? *notices angry mob* What's wrong? It's only been *looks at watch* ...oh...**

**Oops?**

**Really, I am sorry. I didn't mean to make you wait for this. RL was calling and, not only that, but the bunnies wouldn't say a peep about this chapter! They decided to try being headless monks for a bit, then when that didn't work out...I had to get new bunnies...but still.**

**Wow. I just reread that and realized how morbid and sadistic it sounded...oh well!**

**Thanks to neva-chanluvsmonsters101, Rwy'n-Y-Blaidd-Drwg, and Colyn (extra thanks to you for having the easiest name to type lol) for favoriting and stalking and gigantic hug to neva-chanluvsmonsters101 who made me their favorite stalking victim! Yay! **

**neva-chanluvsmonsters101- I'll be sure to shut the blinds at night then! Don't forget your binoculars!**

**TheGirlWhoImagined- haha yeah...he totally would...*decides that that may actually be an interesting ficlet for my other story Don't Touch That* Lol don't forget to share ;)**

**Mimi-lloves-llamas- bwahahaha! read this chapter and find out ;) and thanks :) Also, FYI! the Silence is the organization. The creatures are called Silents. *googled that shit!* Ps- in case you didn't notice, I took it upon myself to add the extra "l" :D you're welcome :)**

**Rwy'n-Y-Blaidd-Drwg- aww thanks :) I'm glad I can help! I know how nerve-wracking auditions can be. If you don't mind my asking, what kind of audition was it? how did it go? feel free to PM me if you don't want it out in public :) And don't worry, Wolfy, it's not going to be a 11/OC story. at the most, Cora would end up a companion, but I haven't thought that far yet...**

**Cjabbott98- I definitely just watched a 10 marathon on my computer yesterday, and finally remembered who Rassilon was! *bashes head on desk cause she's a moron* also, see above in my reply to Mimi about the singular form of the Silence :)**

**Phew! So, onto the good (hopefully) stuff! **

**Reviews today...I'd better give you a double-whammy for the lateness. *light bulb* Reviews will get you a lock of hair from the Doctor of your choosing. Do with it what you like!***

***note: any voodoo/magic/crazy stuff done with hair will not leave stupid_nickel liable. Please don't cause any permanent damage to the Doctor, cause him to regenerate sooner/later/not at all, or lock him in your closet while you sit there poking him with a fork, sniffing his hair. Cause come on. That's just creepy.**

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><p>Chapter 13 – Voice Message<p>

As the Doctor piloted the TARDIS into the Time Vortex, he kept an eye on Cora who was wandering around the console room. Something wasn't right, he could feel it in his gut…he just couldn't put his finger on _what_, exactly. Finally, after a few minutes of flipping levers, pushing buttons, and pulling knobs, he allowed the TARDIS to drift on her own. He noticed Cora sitting under the glass floor, gazing at all the pipes, wires, and flimflams in wonder, and joined her. "Cora," his voice was soft, almost as if he were worried he would scare her off, "what were you looking at before?"

She blinked at him a few times, "I dunno," she shrugged. "Nothing, I guess." The Doctor opened his mouth to reply when Rascal Flatts' "Bob That Head" erupted from Cora's pocket. Digging her phone out of her jeans, she frowned. "I have a new voice memo," she murmured. When did she leave that? She hit the play button and the two of them froze, their eyes widening at the recording.

_There was a sound of heavy breathing, like Cora was scared of something. "Oh my God," she said. "Something's not right. There's…there's something…here. On the TARDIS. It's…an alien. It's really tall, and it has giant fingers and no mouth and…it's wearing a suit! Doctor, I really hope you know what this is." There was a short pause before she continued. "It's weird, but...I can't remember it if I look away. So I'm recording this. What do you want?" she began to address the creature. There was some clicking, a growling-like noise, then, in a low, guttural voice, it spoke. _

"_We want you." _

_Cora inhaled sharply, her voice started to shake, "Wha-what do you mean?"_

"_We want you. You are important."_

"_Important? No, I'm just—" _

_There was a moment's pause before Cora started to speak again. "Did _you _do this to me?! The perception filter thing?" Pause. "Why?! Why would you do that?! What do you need me for?"_

"_You will keep the question unanswered. You will keep the Doctor from Trenzalore."_

The recording ended and Cora looked to the Doctor, her face pale. "Doctor," she asked, "what does that mean?" Words failed the Doctor; he was lost in his own thoughts. The Silence. The Silence had been here, on his TARDIS. Cora was a part of their plan. She was supposed to prevent their downfall. But—

He was snapped back to reality by a sharp blow to his right cheek. "Ow!" He rubbed it, staring at Cora. "You…you _hit _me!"

Cora simply glared at the Time Lord. "Doctor, _what_ was talking to me?! What did it _mean_?!" The Doctor sighed. If she was a part of this, then she needed to know. As he explained the Silence and their plan to Cora, he remembered his conversation with Dorium. The conversation that had taken place so long ago…

"_On the fields of Trenzalore, at the fall of the Eleventh, when no living creature may speak falsely or fail to give answer, a question will be asked. A question that must never, ever be answered."_

"_Silence will fall when the question is asked..."_

"'_Silence must fall' would be a better translation. The Silence are determined that the question must never be answered. The Doctor must never reach Trenzalore."_

"_I don't understand? What's it got to do with me?"_

"_The first question. The oldest question in the universe, hidden in plain sight. Would you like to know what it is?"_

"_Yes!"_

"…_Are you sure?"_

Cora thought long and hard about the information the Doctor had provided her with. Her head was starting to hurt. She had so many questions, but there was one that flitted throughout her brain, making its way into every square inch of her mind. "But Doctor, I don't understand. _Why_ _me_?" He eyes pleaded with the Doctor, begging for an answer. She wasn't special. Hell, she barely left her house! The Doctor shook his head sadly, "I just don't know."

* * *

><p>Cora sat in the library, her feet in the pool. She had laughed at first—a pool in a library! There were so many things <em>wrong <em>with that sentence! But soon, her laughter ended. Aliens had planted her on the TARDIS and infected her DNA with perception filters. She was part of an evil plan to keep said aliens in power. She was to keep the Doctor from Trenzalore—wherever the hell _that _was—and from being victorious once again. However, his victory would also be his downfall.

"The fall of the Eleventh." The Doctor had explained his regeneration process to her, so it only made sense that it meant his eleventh form. He acted like it wasn't a big deal, but there was a pain in his eyes, and she was pretty sure she knew why. Time Lords regenerated when they were about to die. It transformed every cell of the Doctor's being into someone new. To Cora, it _sounded_ like dying. And it sounded _horrible_. Cora shuddered. What was she going to do?

* * *

><p>The Doctor sat on the kitchen counter. He had a plate of fish fingers next to him and a bowl of custard in his lap. Getting a good amount of yellow deliciousness on his fantabulous fish, he brought it to his mouth. Then he paused.<p>

The Silence had made Cora a part of their plan—specifically, the plan to keep their organization from falling. He had to stop them, didn't he? But stopping them brought about a new wave of problems he simply didn't want to think of.

If Cora would stop him from reaching Trenzalore, he would fail. So that meant she had to leave, right? Did he want that? The Doctor shook his head, banishing the thought.

He needed to stop the Silence, but—according to Dorium—that would happen at "the fall of the Eleventh." That _had _to mean his eleventh regeneration. He didn't want to change. What if his next regeneration didn't like hats? Or bowties? Or fish fingers and custard?! He shuddered at the thought.

Jumping off of the counter, the Doctor put down his food. He walked out of the kitchen sighing, running a hand through his mop of hair, trying to come up with some sort of a plan.

He hadn't even taken a bite.


	14. Chapter 14 Simple Gestures

**Look at that! Two for the price of one! Review bonus is the same as last chapter!**

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><p>Chapter 14 – Simple Gestures<p>

The Doctor found Cora a few hours later, still sitting by the side of the pool. Her feet were in the water, kicking lazily as she watched the ripples they created. Cora heard the Doctor come in, noticed him sit down beside her, but did her best to avoid looking up. She didn't think she could face him without breaking down. After a long moment, the silence got to be too much to bear—Cora turned to face him. The Doctor saw she was struggling to hold back tears. Concern immediately flooded his features. "Cora? What's the matter?" He placed his hands on either side of her face, gazing intently into her eyes.

Cora swiped at the tears absentmindedly. "Nothing," she sniffed, staring at the extremely engaging floor.

"Cora," the Doctor warned. He didn't believe her, not by a long shot.

Cora sighed. "It's just…a lot to take in, ya know? It's kind of overwhelming." She took in a shaky breath and the Doctor wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort her. She held tightly to his tweed jacket, burying her face into his chest. How was it he managed to make things a bit better, just by one simple gesture? Unfortunately, though, he couldn't erase the facts. "You don't know what to do, do you?" she asked, her voice muffled by his shirt.

It was the Doctor's turn to sigh. "I'm sorry."

Cora wasn't sure how long she and the Doctor sat there. It could have been seconds, minutes, hours…hell; it could have been _days_ for all she knew. The only thing that mattered was that each was finding comfort wrapped in the other's arms. They had become such good friends in such a short time—and that was enough. But every moment ends eventually. Heaving a sigh large enough to shatter the cosmos, Cora pulled away from the Doctor. The words that came out of her mouth next broke her heart. "Doctor, I need to go home. If I'm supposed to keep you from beating those sons-of-bitches, then I need to stay away from you."

The Doctor nodded sadly. "I know." That didn't mean he was happy about it.

The two walked hand in hand back to the console room, neither of them speaking. They would enjoy their last fleeting moments together—possibly their last moments ever. When they finally landed outside Cora's house, she tried to stay strong. She _needed _to stay strong—if not for herself, then for the Doctor. Holding her head high, she exited the TARDIS, turning around to face the Doctor a final time.

"Don't you just disappear, though," Cora threatened the Doctor, ignoring her unintended pun. "Keep in touch. Drop in once in a while, or at least call. Don't be a stranger." With the command, the Doctor also heard her unspoken plea. _"Don't just leave me behind in the dust."_

The Doctor nodded. "I won't. I promise."

And with that, he was gone.

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><p><strong>And that's the end of the story!<strong>

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**...OR IS IT?! Review to find out!**


	15. Chapter 15 Some Sisterly Advice

**D'aww, come on now you guys! Did you really think I'd leave you hanging like that?! ...not for very long, at least...**

**Thanks to moonshoesanna (is that AVPM reference I'm seeing?) and Xandora for stalking the story!**

**TheGirlWithTheOnyxRose- tada! Thanks :)**

**Cjabbott98- not even a taste! Poor Doctor.**

**Kimikono- sorry, but I love cliffhangers...giving them, that is...not receiving though... *hands tissues***

**raykay8001- continue, well sure! :D thanks!**

**Xandora- thanks :) Yeah, I know what you mean :/ But those parts I either wanted them to move fast, or I tried to slow it down and, no matter what I did, it sounded like crap. Sorry :/ Glad you like it though, and thanks for telling me :) *hands lock of DT's hair***

**So! Thank you all for your lovely reviews! *hugs* Here we're going to get a bit more of Meg! Hopefully it sounds realistic enough, I based it off of the relationship I have with my own older sister.**

**Reviews for this chapter earn you the 10th Doctor's overcoat!****

****Doctor not included. He is currently locked in my closet where I can do with him what I please *waggles eyebrows***

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><p>Chapter 15 – Some Sisterly Advice<p>

Walking into her house, Cora headed straight for the couch. She proceeded to flop down onto it—face first. She screamed all her frustration, anger, confusion, and pain into one of the cushions. Why did the aliens have to choose her? Why did she have to leave the Doctor? Why did _everything_ _horrible_ have to happen to _her_? Why—

"Cor?" Cora froze at the voice, her brain screaming at her for being such an idiot for not realizing.

Meg.

Looking back, she saw that Meg had been sitting at the kitchen table from the moment Cora had walked in. Meg had seen her broken expression and heard her scream. Shit. There was no way Cora could face her, let alone talk her way out of this. Any second now, Meg was going to—"You okay, hun?"

There it was.

"Mmphmm,"was the only sound Cora could make, seeing as she was determined to keep her face buried in the couch. Unfortunately for her, after numerous occasions of comforting her little sister, not to mention Meg's many girl-friends, Meg had gotten to be quite skilled at understanding "cushion-speak."

"No, Cora," she frowned, "you're _not _fine."

"Mmfffmmmmphh!"

"Cora," Cora didn't have to look, she knew Meg's expression had turned stormy by her tone. "Did that guy do something to you? Because if he did, I'm going to march out there _right now _and kick his—"

"I'm _fine_," Cora protested, sitting up. Meg was going to get her answers, one way or another, whether Cora liked it or not. "He didn't do anything."

Meg moved to sit beside her, throwing an arm supportively over Cora's shoulders. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I can't."

So the sisters simply sat. Cora contemplated her choice, wondering what all she could tell Meg. She neededto tell _somebody_, but didn't know how. Meg tried to be as comforting as she could, not really sure what to say, but understanding that her presence alone would help; even if it was just by a little. Finally, after what seemed like ages, Cora took a deep breath. "Meg," she started tentatively, her sister's attention already captured, "have you ever done something that you regretted?" Cora watched her sister's eyes widen in alarm and, realizing how that could have been misunderstood, backpedaled. "Not like that, I swear! It's just…"

"Just what?" Meg murmured, brushing her little sister's hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear.

God, why did explaining things to Meg have to be so _difficult_?! Cora wished she could just tell Meg _everything_, but she knew she couldn't. That wouldn't end well at _all_. "When I was with…_John_…it was…fantastic!" She started off slowly, choosing her words wisely. As she continued, she loosened up a bit, trusting herself not to give anything too…alien-related. "Seriously, Meg, you should have seen it! But, the problem was, someone told me that if I stayed with John, something bad would happen to him."

"And now you hate yourself for deciding to leave," Meg finished for her. Cora nodded, wondering how Meg knew. Noting her surprise, Meg shrugged. "I've been there. Listen, Cor, do you believe that whoever-it-was was telling the truth? Because if you do, you shouldn't regret your choice." Her eyes bored into Cora's, hoping she was saying the right things. "What's your _gut_ telling you?"

Cora buried her head in her hands. "I don't know," she moaned.

Meg patted her back reassuringly. "Think about it, hun." Then, Meg got up and left Cora alone with her thoughts.

For a while, Cora simply moped. Why did life have to keep throwing her curveballs? It was just so confusing! She hadn't _wanted_ to leave the Doctor. It was all the damn Silence's fault!

Cora's head snapped up, the gears in her head starting to turn. She _knew _something hadn't been right! She just hadn't seen it until now! She needed to talk to the Doctor, _ASAP!_ But how was she supposed to—

"_Meg_!" she hollered. "We need to go to Cardiff!"


	16. Chapter 16 Confessions

**Note: If anyone wants to know the origin of the sonic potato that Jack found in a previous chapter, check out my story "Don't Touch That." It's chapter 28-Anniversary. Thought you might like it :P**

**Thanks to Shecanjump for stalking the story, and to TheSpellweaver for stalking both the story and me!**

**Kimikono- hahaha! That honestly made me laugh out loud. Which was awkward cause people asked what I was laughing about. And I had to say an email. And they looked at me weird for some reason...yeah...**

**moonshoesanna- God, I love that show! So funny! My university actually put it on last year xD Epic. Thanks a lot :)**

**Xandora- here's the update, you're welcome for the hair, and yeah, confusion is what I was aiming for ;) You'll find out in the next chapter or so :)**

**TheSpellweaver- haha thank you so much! I'm still going :)**

**neva-chanluvsmonsters101- damn. Worth a shot! And the wording of that: "relevant to my interests" totally made my day :D**

**Reviews today will get you the 11th Doctor's tweed jacket****

********Unique in the universe, made of Infinity Tweed. If the jacket is hit by any kind of bullet or laser beam, or even a triple-enfolded, quantum-strength ninja star, it would be completely ruined. So, please be careful with it!**

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><p>Chapter 16 – Confessions<p>

Cora needed to contact the Doctor, but had no idea how to. Luckily, she knew someone who probably did. So, after quite a bit of begging, some bribery, and a dash of blackmail, the sisters were on a plane to Cardiff. Cora was bouncing in her seat in excitement.

Meg however, who was sitting next to Cora, was not pleased in the least. The last-minute ticket booking had been expensive, traffic was a bitch, and she would have a toddler kicking the back of her seat for the next few hours. She glared out the window, arms crossed over her chest, fuming silently.

Once the plane was finally in the air, Meg turned to her little sister, steam practically coming out of her ears. "Spill," she growled.

Cora feigned innocence. "Spill what?" she asked. Her pulse sped up when Meg glared at her. God, why did she have to be so terrifying when she was pissed?!

"You know what," Meg accused through gritted teeth. "Why the _hell_ are we on a plane to _Cardiff_? I want to know _why _I dished out all this money on _blackmail_ and I want a _damn good reason too!_"

Cora gulped. "I already told you," she whispered, staring into her lap, "I _can't_ tell you." She prayed to every god she could think of that Meg would let it go at that…but she knew her sister all too well to truly believe she would.

Meg sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Coraline Jackline Daniels," Meg started in a low voice. Cora knew she was in trouble now; Meg _never _used her full name, it reminded her too much of their mom, "I swear to God, if you don't tell me _exactly_ why we're going to Cardiff _right now_, I will _personally_ march up to that cockpit and turn the plane around _myself_!" She waited a moment and, when Cora remained silent, stood up and walked out into the isle.

Cora's eyes grew wide as she realized Meg wasn't bluffing. Jumping up after her sister, she pulled her back by the arm and sat her down. "Fine," she hissed, glancing around in hopes they hadn't made too large a scene, "I'll tell you. But, you aren't going to believe me."

Meg made herself comfortable for a long story. "Try me."

In a hushed voice, so as not to be overheard and admitted into the nearest mental institution, Cora explained the day's events to her sister. From waking up on the TARDIS to the perception filters in her DNA, from getting kidnapped by Torchwood to the truth serum, from the Silence to ending up back home. She told Meg how the Doctor was an alien, how he travelled through time and space, and how he had shown her the universe. "You should have seen it, Meg," she sighed happily, "I could see _everything_! There were stars and planets and galaxies…it was so _beautiful_!"

Meg had been silent the entire time Cora spoke. She'd heard her out and was trying to make sense of it all. Aliens? Secret government agencies? How did Cora expect her to believe any of it? Her sister turning invisible _alone_ was farfetched. "Prove it," she commanded. When her sister gave her a confused look, Meg elaborated, "Prove you can turn invisible."

"Are you serious?!" Cora squawked. "I can't do that!" Then, quieter, "Don't you think people will notice my turning _invisible_?!"

"Just your hand then," Meg whispered, "you said you could will it to happen. Well, will your hand to turn invisible. Do that and I'll believe you."

Grumbling incoherently, Cora did a quick sweep of the plane to make sure no one was watching. Then, she squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated all of her thoughts to her hand disappearing. Hearing Meg's gasp, she knew she'd done it. She opened her eyes once again, allowed her hand to reappear, and faced her sister. "So, are we good?" Meg nodded, too shocked to speak.

"Attention passengers," the captain's voice came over the speakers, "if you could please return to your seats and buckle-up. We'll be landing in just a few, short minutes." A loud _ding_ sounded and the "Seatbelts On" light flashed.

Cora fastened herself in and clapped her hands together. "Show time!"


	17. Chapter 17 Cardiff and Pizza

**Hola y'all! Sorry about the late update. I worked all day yesterday, all day today, and just finally got done writing it!**

**Thanks to Alyksandra Howling and Banana Lollypop for favoriting and stalking the story! And another hug to Banana Lollypop for favoriting ME!**

**sashaxh- yeah, sorry about that :( This one's a bit longer, like, three pages on Microsoft Word so it should be better :)**

**Kimikono- haha I'm the same way about hats! And don't worry. I only take them after the Doctor has regenerated! So he's currently in his twelfth! (I'm from the future!)**

**TheSpellweaver- holy cow! Thanks so much! It really means a lot :)**

**neva-chanluvsmonsters101- NOO NOT SMEYER! AHHH! *drinks brain bleach* *hands some to you* want some?**

**Banana Lollypop- YEAH BUDDY! Hermione can't draw, Hermione can't draw, Hermione cannot draaaaawww! She only reads books and she cannot draw, even if she read a book about how to draw! *falls down in a fit of laughter* and thanks so much! And here's more! Don't worry! I'm glad you like it :)**

**So you guys are super lucky I'm updating this. I'm at my parents' house right now cause I stayed over, and I forgot my phone charger at home, AND my laptop charger. I have about half an hour before my computer dies. So good timing on all parts!**

**Today-err..._night_ from where I am-will get you the Doctor's bow tie. Bow ties are, and always will be, _cool_.***

***Doctor is not attached to bow tie, he is not included. Any accidental entanglements, knots, or deaths are not stupid_nickel's fault.  
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><p>Chapter 17 – Cardiff and Pizza<p>

After Cora and Meg found their bags in the airport, they hailed a taxi and set off for their hotel. The Future Inn—sleek, modern, homey, it was perfect. They dropped their bags on the floor of their room and Meg immediately ran to the window. "Look, Cora!" she cried, pointing at something Cora couldn't see, "We're _so_ close to the Millennium Center!" She turned to face her younger sister, fiery excitement in her eyes. "We are _so _going to see a show while we're here!"

Cora rolled her eyes. "Meg," she chastised, "you _know_ why we're here!"

Waving her off, Meg scoffed, "Yeah, yeah, we have to find Torchwood and call the Doctor and blah, blah, blah. Come _on_. It's _my_ money we're spending here." Cora sighed. She was right. Meg had a right to a bit of fun.

"Fine," she complied, "but can we please do it _after _we find Torchwood?" Meg nodded and the two set out.

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><p>"Do you even know where we're going?!" Meg complained. Her feet hurt, it was too hot, and she would <em>kill<em> for a pizza. Cora however, was seemingly unaffected. She rolled her eyes at her sister's question and kept on walking.

Secretly, Cora was just as frustrated. They had been looking for hours and still…_nothing_. It was extremely disappointing. But, what had she expected? She hadn't known what to look for. She never really had a plan! All she knew was that Torchwood was somewhere in Cardiff. It wasn't much to go on. _'Man,'_ she thought, scowling, _'I really should have thought this through…'_

Suddenly, Meg plopped herself down in the middle of the sidewalk, crossing her legs and arms. "Meg," Cora sighed, turning to face her sister, "what are you doing?"

Meg pouted. "You _don't_ know where we're going! I'm tired, I'm hungry—we're taking a break!"

"But, Meg," Cora pleaded, "I _need _to find the Doctor!"

"_We're taking a break,_" Meg growled. There was a brief staring contest—sister glaring at sister, while innocent bystanders told their children not to stare at the strange tourists—before Cora sighed. "Fine, but just a short one!" Grinning like a fool, Meg leaped up, grabbed Cora by the hand, and ran to the nearest pizza parlor. The girls each ordered a slice—Meg got the deluxe while Cora stuck with pepperoni—grabbed a coke, and sat down to eat. Cora had to admit, it _was_ good pizza.

Once they'd finished, Cora and Meg tried to work out a game plan.

"We could always ask around."

"Meg, they're a secret agency that catches aliens and their technology."

"So?"

"Why would they go around under the name '_Torchwood'_? It's a bit conspicuous, don't you think?"

"What ever happened to 'hiding in plain sight'?"

"Meg…"

"Just wait here." Before Cora could protest, Meg had gone up to the counter. She was talking to the boy who'd gotten them their food and, after a couple minutes, came back triumphantly with a piece of paper. "Take _that_!" she grinned, fanning herself with the note.

Cora smirked. "I don't know why you bothered to get his number. We're not staying that long!" She yelped when Meg smacked her upside the head. "Bitch!" she growled, rubbing the sore spot.

"I didn't get his number, idiot," Meg rolled her eyes. She handed Cora the paper and laughed. Cora's eyes widened, her jaw threatening to drop.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"An address," Meg confirmed. "That guy said Torchwood orders pizzas all the time. I figured we could start by trying there!"

Cora's eyebrows furrowed. "What happened to customer confidentiality?" she asked quizzically, mostly to herself. Surely the boy hadn't just _given _Meg the address.

Meg flipped her hair. "I told him it was for a school project," she boasted.

Cora didn't believe her for a second. "Meg…"

"Our uncle works there?"

"_Meg_."

"Fine!" Meg sighed, her cheeks turning pink. "I gave him my number in return," she mumbled, hiding her face in her hands. Cora tried to contain her laughter, she really did. But, a twitch of the lips turned into a smirk which turned into a full out session of I'm-laughing-so-hard-that-I've-stopped-producing-noise-and-now-all-I-can-do-is-clap-while-my-mouth-moves-silently-and-I-look-like-a-seal. "Shut up!" Meg cried, turning even redder.

"Okay, okay," Cora gasped, wiping tears from her eyes, "I'm sorry." She took a few deep breaths to calm herself and the two set off once again.

And if the guy behind the counter winked at Meg as she left, Cora didn't mention it to anyone…who wasn't on Facebook…

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><p>"Are you sure this is the right address?" Cora was having a difficult time believing it was. They were standing outside of a little tourist information center by the waterfront. Torchwood was so much bigger than <em>this<em>. There was no way!

Meg checked the address again. "Yeah," she replied, nodding, "this is the right place." Seeing her sister's skeptical expression, Meg shrugged. "Maybe he wanted us to ask someone _here_."

Cora groaned and rolled her eyes. This day was turning out just _fantastic_! The girls walked through the front door and looked around. Pamphlets were scattered around, on, and behind a large wooden desk, on top of which was a computer. Other than that, the room was empty. "Well _great_," Cora exclaimed sarcastically, "there isn't even anyone _here_!"

Meg went up to the desk and looked over it. "Hello?" she called out. "Anyone here?"

Cora had crossed her arms and started grumbling angrily to herself when a man walked into view. His professional dress, nice hair, and boyish face made Cora's eyes light up. "Hello," he greeted Meg, not yet noticing Cora. "How can I—"

"Ianto!"


	18. Chapter 18 Psychic Ianto Jones

**Oh hallo my lovelies! How are you all?**

**Kimikono- *sigh* I'm sorry, but if I make an exception for you, then I have to for everyone and I only _have _one Doctor. Sorry. And yeah, I really wish I could find a fez somewhere :/ It would complete my collection!**

**Alyksandra Howling- yeah, it totally is! I do that when I'm not snorting :P**

**TheSpellweaver- Oh no! Not her! Ahhhh! With the short fic I wrote about her, I actually found it physically painful. I don't even _text _like that! I spell out the words. Complete sentences! WE SPEAK ENGLISH! And thanks :) You make me blush :P**

**sashaxh- woot woot! *happy dance* *confetti cannon***

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><p>Chapter 18 – Psychic Ianto Jones<p>

Ianto blinked a few times in surprise, "Cora?!" Cora nodded, a wide grin plastered on her face. Ianto's smile soon matched hers, "Hey! I thought you went with the Doctor!" Cora laughed as he pulled her into a hug. "I did," she giggled into his chest. Ianto certainly hadn't lost any enthusiasm while she was away.

Holding her at arms' length, Ianto grinned. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too." And it was. Cora was really glad she'd decided to return. She hadn't known how much she'd missed Ianto and the others—even if they _had_ kidnapped and drugged her—until now. The sound of someone clearing their throat behind Cora snapped her back to reality. She turned to see Meg, looking very awkward and out of place. "Oh, right," Cora blushed, embarrassed she'd forgotten about her sister, "Ianto, this is my sister, Meg. Meg, this is Ianto Jones," she introduced the two.

Ianto shook her hand, "Pleasure," he smiled. Meg turned to Cora and raised her eyebrows suggestively. Cora shook her head, shooting Meg her "He's hot, yes, but taken" look. Meg's smile fell ever so slightly. Ianto cleared his throat bringing their attention back to him. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, Cora, but what are you doing here?" he asked.

Cora stood tall, hoping Ianto would understand how much she needed this. "I need to see Captain Jack," she said pleadingly, "it's really important." Meg nodded her agreement. Ianto eyed Meg worriedly before turning back to Cora with a questioning look. "She knows about Torchwood already," Cora informed Ianto.

Ianto nodded thoughtfully for a moment before another grin spread across his face. "Well, come on in then." He walked behind the desk, pushed a hidden button, and a secret door in the wall slid open. Cora and Meg shared an excited look before following Ianto into the Hub.

Meg gasped as she took everything in. The place was _huge_! She turned to Cora with wide eyes and Cora winked—as if to say "Tell me about it." A loud screech had Meg just about jumping out of her socks. Looking up, she saw a large, reptilian-like bird flying overhead. _'Hang on,'_ she mused, _'that's not a bird…'_

"Is that a—"

"Pterodactyl? Yup," Cora nodded, "Cool, eh?" Meg could only nod silently as she looked around the massive area that was the Torchwood Hub. Owen was cleaning something in the medical bay, Gwen was talking to someone on the phone—probably her husband—and Tosh was tinkering with some alien technology. Of course, Cora knew that they were still paying attention to what was happening around them. She scanned the room quickly for Captain Jack, but didn't see him. "Is he here?" she asked Ianto.

Ianto nodded, "He's in his office. Would you like me to get him for you?"

Cora shook her head, "Naw, I'll save you the trouble." Nodding, Ianto strode off towards his impressive-looking coffee maker. He could tell they were all going to need some caffeine in a few minutes. Cora took a couple steps towards Jack's office before stopping. She grinned impishly to herself. "_Hey, Harkness!_" she shouted at the top of her lungs, "_I need to talk to you!_"

Cora's sudden outburst caused a multitude of reactions; Tosh jumped before giggling at Cora's childishness method of contacting Jack. Owen looked up from his work and smirked, rolling his eyes; he would have done the exact same thing. Gwen glared at Cora, telling her husband that she would "call back in a bit." Meg gave her younger sister a reproachful stare. _'Seriously,'_ she thought, _'how embarrassing.'_

Peeking his head out of the office door, Jack beamed. "Cora!" he cried, sauntering over, his thumbs in his suspenders. His military coat was currently hung with care, but even out of uniform, the man was dashing. Cora glanced at her sister out of the corner of her eye and smirked—she was already blushing furiously, straightening her shirt. Oh, this was going to be good.

"Captain," Cora saluted him when he reached them. He gave her a two-finger salute and threw in a wink.

Turning to Meg, Jack looked her up and down. "And who might _this_ be?" he asked. Meg blushed even harder. She managed to stutter out her name and Jack kissed her knuckles. "Well, _hello_ Miss Daniels," he murmured, giving her his trademark half-grin. Cora rolled her eyes; what happened to the sister she knew and feared? A loud _crack_ resonated throughout the Hub as Meg slapped Jack.

'_Oh,'_ Cora smirked to herself, _'there she is.'_

The shocked expression Jack wore as he held a hand to his red cheek was hilarious. So hilarious, in fact, that Cora took out her cellphone and snapped a picture of it, deciding it would come in handy later. At the very least, it was certain to cheer her up on a rainy day.

"_Ow!_" Jack complained loudly. His team members were all stifling laughter, making him even more irritated with the woman who'd just hit him. "What was _that_ for?!"

Meg smiled superiorly. "_That_ was for drugging my little sister!" Jack made a mental note not to make the same mistake twice. He'd been slapped before—oh the times he'd been slapped—but not out of anger!

Taking a subtle step away from Meg, Jack turned to Cora. "So, besides having your sister _hit _me," he looked pointedly at a smug Meg who, childishly, stuck her tongue out at him, "what are you doing back _here_?"

By this point, Ianto had returned with refreshments. Meg and Cora were surprised to find that he knew exactly what they wanted—coffee, black with one sugar for Meg and an Orange Pekoe tea with two sugars and just a dash of milk for Cora. _'The man must be psychic,'_ Cora decided. Jack pouted when Ianto handed him his coffee along with an ice pack, snickering.

"Well, Jack," Cora sipped at her tea, "I need to ask you a favor."

Jack chuckled. "You never just drop in to say 'hello,' do you?" he asked with a wink and a goofy grin. Cora snorted at his accusation.

"Maybe next time," she teased. "But seriously, I need you to help me call the Doctor." Jack raised a brow at her.

"Really?" he asked, "And what makes you think I can do that?" Cora shot him a pointed look and he held up his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright, I'll try. But there's no guarantee he'll come." Jack tapped a few things into his wrist strap—vortex manipulator, as Cora now knew it was—and Cora sighed. _'Doctor, come find me,'_ she thought to the cosmos.

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><p>While they waited for the Doctor to (hopefully) arrive, Owen offered to show Meg around. As they headed off deeper into the Hub, Cora called out, "Sorry, Owen, but she's dating the pizza guy!" Meg turned bright red and, if looks could kill, Cora would be six feed under. She laughed—oh there would be hell to pay later, but it was so worth it!<p>

Tosh and Gwen had gone back to work; a small miracle for which Cora was thankful for. She didn't have anything against _Tosh_, but Cora wasn't very keen on Gwen, for obvious reasons. Sadly, Ianto had to return to the tourist entrance, so, with a hug, Cora bid him goodbye.

Being the only two remaining, Jack and Cora decided to move over to a couch to sit, drink their liquid happiness, and catch up.

"So how come you left him?" Jack asked partway through their conversation, true concern leaking into his voice. People only left the Doctor in life or death situations or if they were forced to. If Cora wasn't with him, something very bad must have happened.

Cora sighed. "It's sort of hard to explain." Jack nodded at her to continue. She looked down at her hands as she spoke. "Well," she said, "it's because of my stupid DNA." When Jack raised a brow, she turned herself invisible to clarify. Reappearing, she continued, "We found out that I'm part of some evil aliens' plan to beat the Doctor, I'm supposed to keep him away from some place. So, I left. But," Cora became more sure of herself as she spoke, "I've been doing a lot of thinking, and a bunch of things about that don't add up! Like—"

Before she could elaborate, Owen and Meg strode back in. Cora snorted when she saw Meg's mussed-up hair and frazzled expression. Meg noticed her younger sister's smirk and blushed. "Shut up," she ordered a giggling Cora.

Everyone froze when they heard a wheezing, grinding noise. Cora and Jack simply grinned at each other before running towards the materializing TARDIS.

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><p><strong>So my darlings, our story is near it's end...I think. I'm kind of writing as I go so I'm not sure but it feels like it's coming to a close. Sad face. So make sure you tell me what you think! I love getting reviews and I haven't been getting many lately and it makes me sad :( Even just a word helps! Come on, gang, we're almost at 100! I'll tell you what, if we make it to a hundred reviews (that's 30 more) by the end of the story, I'll do a sequel! I promise! (well, that is, if you WANT a sequel...if you completely hate the story, then I promise I WON'T make one!) How's that sound?<strong>

**Reviews today will get you a fez!***

***Fez being completely intact is not guaranteed seeing as River shot it.  
><strong>

**BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! **

**For a limited time only, you will also receive the 11th Doctor's shirt! Looks like an ordinary shirt, even feels like an ordinary shirt!****

****IS, in fact, an ordinary shirt.**


	19. Chapter 19 Apples and Oranges

**Hey y'all! How's it going? So, as of this moment, we are at 77 reviews! Come on, everyone! 23 more before the story ends for a sequel!**

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**So my arpeggios...not sure why I called you that...AHEM**

**Today, reviews will get you the 11th Doctor's:**

****Trousers (in Canada they're called "pants")! But they're n**ot just any old trousers, they're Hypertrousers!***

***Very similar to normal trousers, but with the word "hyper" in front.**

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><p>Chapter 19 – Apples and Oranges<p>

As they neared the TARDIS, Cora signaled to Jack, winking before she turned invisible. Jack bit back a laugh, delighted that she wanted to have a bit of fun with the Doctor. Owen and Meg followed close behind, sharing a bemused look. They reached the TARDIS just as the Doctor was stepping out. He looked a tad frantic. "Doctor, what's wrong?" asked Jack, worry seeping into his voice.

"What's wrong?!" cried the Doctor, "_I_ should ask _you _what's wrong!" Holding up his psychic paper for all to see, the Doctor's expression turned grim. "I got your S.O.S," he nodded to Jack, his eyes scanning the Hub for danger.

Jack scratched the back of his neck, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards ever so slightly as he stifled a chuckle. "Uh, Doctor," he started slowly, "all I said was that I needed to see you." The Doctor's mouth popped into a small "o" as he realized his mistake. His cheeks turned a slight shade of pink as Meg giggled. Owen and Jack tried to disguise their laughter as coughs. Cora had to stuff her fist in her mouth to remain silent. Of course the Doctor would mistake a simple "We need to talk" for a "Help me I'm going to die!"

The Doctor straightened his bowtie, trying to maintain the small amount of dignity he had left. "Well then," he cleared his throat awkwardly, "what did you need to see me about?" Cora grinned; oh, this was going to be _too_ much fun.

"Well, you see, Doctor," Jack began, rubbing his jaw in faux concern, "we've got a bit of a…situation…"

The Doctor's eyes immediately lit up, excitement radiating from him. "Oooh! A situation?! I _love _a good situation! What kind of situation is it?" He bounced up and down on his toes, eyes twinkling as he fluttered his hands around the air. Cora smirked, rolling her eyes at his abounds of child-like energy.

Jack wandered over to a table with a large assortment of snack foods. "We're not sure exactly what happened but, as of late, things around the Hub have just started moving around on their own!" Taking the hint, Cora picked up a couple of oranges and started to wave them around, giving them the illusion of "floating." She had to restrain from creating ghost noises. _'I'm just as much a child as the Doctor,_' she mused. The Doctor's eyes widened as he stepped closer to the fruit. When he pulled out his sonic screwdriver, Cora put the oranges down and moved out of the way. She didn't feel like getting detected by it and having her fun ruined so _soon_!

"Hang on a second, isn't—" Meg's comment was ended abruptly when Owen covered her mouth with his hand. She squawked in protest, glaring at him. Owen whispered something into her ear and removed his hand. "Ohh," she finally understood. Cora shook her head and rolled her eyes; sometimes her sister could be a bit thick. Seriously, everyone _else_ had caught on!

Reading his scan, the Doctor's eyebrows furrowed. "Odd," he murmured, "I'm not getting any signs of alien activity." He strode back over to Jack, "Who's she?" he asked, pointing to Meg absentmindedly. "She wasn't here earlier!"

'_Uh oh.'_

"She's our new intern," Jack covered smoothly, "just got here to…_help_ Owen." Cora had to cover her mouth once again, desperately trying not to laugh at the double-entendre. The Doctor opened his mouth again, ready to ask a few more questions, but he paused as the oranges started—juggling themselves?

"What?!" he cried in disbelief as a couple of apples joined in. Cora smirked—she never thought she'd say it, but boy, was she ever glad she'd taught herself to juggle. Putting off studying for her finals had finally paid off!

The Doctor was positively ecstatic. "That…is…_brilliant_!" he exclaimed, walking around the floating oranges to watch from different angles. However, his excitement was short-lived when he had to hit the deck; the fruit had begun launching itself at him. The Doctor's surprised yelp pushed Cora over the edge; she couldn't hold it in any longer. Allowing herself to become visible once again, she rolled on the ground, roaring in laughter.

"You…should have…seen...your…_face_!" she choked out between gasps. Soon, Jack, Meg, and Owen were laughing along with her—and Cora was pretty sure she'd heard Tosh and Gwen giggling somewhere in the Hub too.

The Doctor gaped at her for a moment. "Cora?" he whispered. Then, a wide grin spread across his face as he ran over to her. "Cora!" he crowed, gathering her into a hug and spinning her around as she giggled. Setting her back down, the Doctor shot her a baffled grin. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "I brought you back home!"

"Aww, come on, Doctor. Did you really think you could get rid of me that easily?" Cora teased. He snorted at this before Cora turned somber. "The thing is, I've been doing a lot of thinking and, there's something _really_ important I need to tell you!"

The Doctor's face mirrored hers. "What is it?" he asked, realizing Cora was about to tell him something very serious.

Cora took a deep breath. "It's—"

She didn't manage to get the rest of her sentence out before her eyes rolled back into her head and the darkness overcame her.

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><p><strong>DUN DUN DUNNN! PLOT TWIST!<strong>

**Didn't see THAT coming, did ya? ;)**


	20. Chapter 20 Revelations

**90 REVIEWS! 90 REVIEWS! *happy dance* Yay to you ALL! We're almost there! Although...this also means that I'll have to come up with another plot for a sequel...hmm...**

**Sorry I haven't updated in a few days. The plot bunnies were being very picky! They love the crack!fics I'm writing because of the various plots, and they LOVE Help Me! because it's something new, but every time I tried to get them to work on THIS story, they spat it out saying "BLECH!" But, they finally tried it again and remembered how good it tasted! Woo!**

**Thanks to Emmwilko23 and holljos for stalking and favoriting both the story and me and thanks to DuffJessica for stalking me :)**

**Cjabbott98- Haha, glad you liked it! And unfortunately, no. When have my characters ever been THAT lucky? :P **

**Wolfy- Yeah, I felt like, after a couple of heavy-ish/angsty chapters, we needed a bit of humor! 10 is my favorite too, though 11 is growing on me! He's just so awkward, it's like having a baby giraffe in a bow tie and fez. And now that image is in my head...IF ANYONE HAS DEVIANTART (i think that's what it's called) AND YOU WERE TO DRAW THAT, I WOULD LOVE YOU FOREVER AND POSSIBLY SHARE JACK, IANTO, AND THE DOCTOR WITH YOU!**

**TheSpellweaver- Well, at least you won't go without, then! Does your anger pop up often? :P And that's SO cheating! You sly, cunning, tricky, manipulative fox, you. I'm not sure if I should be angry or proud...**

**Mimi-lloves-llamas- I'm just going to continue to add the extra "l" in your name. Just cause. And, heh heh, wouldn't you like to know ;)**

**BananaLollypop- :D I love leaving cliffhangers! There's totally another one at the end of THIS chapter too! Though, maybe not as big, but still a cliffy ;) You cheater you! You're just like TheSpellweaver! Tricking the system like that...But I'm seriously glad that you LOVE it! That means so much! (heh heh, AVPM). "When I rule the world, I'll plant flowers!" "When I rule the world, I'll have...SNAKES!" "And Jane Austen novelllllllllllllss!" "And goblins and werewolves, a fleet of Dementors, and giants and thestrals and all my death eaters!" "When I rule the WORLD!" Yes, you get a Jammy Dodger *hands it over* I have never had one before :/ We don't have them here :( Oh, you totally DO want a badger named Charlie! Is there anything better?! NO! **

**Xandora- Oh hi! I wondered what happened to you :P No worries, I get caught up in stuff like that too. I'm a major hypocrite because, whilst I bribe for reviews, I'm a lurker. I seldom leave reviews...but I'm trying to get better!**

**Emmwilko23- Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it :)**

**Grace the Time Gypsy- Cool name, by the way :) Don't worry, I get what you mean. Sometimes, I'll edit really quickly, or forget completely, so I miss that stuff, but I'm working on it :) I also normally go back after I finish a story and re-edit the whole thing, fixing it on FF too. I'm glad you like the story, though :) Also, yeah, I'm a total creep. Ask anyone! But don't worry, I let them out. They are now allowed to wander around my house freely, but _I_ have the TARDIS key ;)**

**Kimikono- Ahh, but that's the point, isn't it ;)**

**neva-chanluvsmonsters101- Or "Geronimo" to 11.**

**Reviews today will get you the Doctor's shoes! Not one, not two, but THREE! Oh, Time Lords, they're always full of surprises!**

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><p>Chapter 20 – Revelations<p>

When unconsciousness took Cora as its own, she crumpled to the ground. Jack managed to catch her before her head connected with the concrete floor, but only just. Setting her down carefully, Jack knelt by her side. He shook her lightly, "Cora? Cora." He tried to rouse her, but she remained motionless. While Owen checked her vitals, the Doctor whipped out his sonic screwdriver. It whirred to life in his hand as he brought it over Cora's body. All the while, Meg stood motionless in the corner, her eyes wide in horror. She was frozen in place with worry.

Finding her vital signs normal, Owen's eyebrows scrunched together. He looked to the Doctor who only shook his head—his scans were inconclusive. Owen carried Cora to the medical bay and laid her down on his examination table, deciding to run some more tests. He ordered everyone away to allow him to work in peace. Jack and the Doctor agreed, choosing to see if something environmental had caused Cora to collapse. Meg however, refused—there was no way in _hell_ she would leave her younger sister's side. When Owen moved to _physically_ remove her from the area, she spun on her heel, and swung a punch at him, fire in her eyes. Owen's nose narrowly avoided her right hook, for which he was glad—he didn't need it to break _again_. Meg stayed by Cora's side with tears in her eyes, holding her hand, begging her to wake up.

A few minutes later, Jack and the Doctor returned, having found nothing. Meg frowned at the three men in front of her. They were speaking in hushed whispers, too quiet for her to hear. "Could someone _please _tell me what's going on?!" she cried. She was terrified for Cora.

Owen was at a loss. "Cora's getting worse," he sighed. "Her heart-rate's slowing, she's having a tough time breathing, and she just isn't responding." It broke his heart when Meg looked up at him with such…faith—faith in _him_, faith that he could fix her little sister.

"So what exactly is _wrong_ with her? What do we have to do to wake her up?" Meg's lower lip wobbled as she stared at him, her eyes pleading. They had to do _something_!

Owen ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "That's the problem," he sighed. "There's nothing _wrong_ with her, at least, not physically." Meg blinked, confusion etched into her features. Owen hated himself for what he was about to say. "She's perfectly fine," he elaborated, "except for the fact that she's dying. The only way she's going to wake up, is if it's of her own accord—and that's not likely." He walked over and placed a sympathetic hand on Meg's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but there isn't anything we can do.

Her breathing accelerating into gasps, Meg turned to Jack and the Doctor, her eyes begging them to correct Owen, to tell her that he was wrong and Cora would be just fine. When all they could do was stare at Cora's body, their expressions filled with pain and failure, Meg felt her heart break. She leaned over Cora's unconscious form, hugging it, and sobbed.

The Doctor blamed himself. If he hadn't dragged Cora into his dangerous lifestyle…

Sure, it wasn't _technically_ his fault, but he still felt complete responsibility. He should have protected her. Sadly, the Doctor pulled up a chair beside Cora and sat by her head; he held her hand in his. Leaning over, he whispered into her ear, hoping she would hear him and _listen_. "Come on, Cora; _fight it_."

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><p>Cora blinked in surprise. One minute she had been standing with the Doctor, her sister, and a few members of the Torchwood team, about to explain everything and the next…nothing. She was standing…well, she wasn't sure where. Everything around her was completely and endlessly white. There was no distinction between floors, walls, a ceiling—there was simply <em>nothing<em>.

She spun around slowly, trying to get her bearings, jumping when she came face-to-face with a Silent. The fact that it simply stood there, staring at her, unmoving unnerved her the most. She would have rather had it attack her. At least _then_ it would be doing _something_! "Wh-where am I? Why am I here?" she asked, cursing her voice for shaking.

The Silent's reply sent a shiver down her spine. "The one place you cannot escape; your mind." Its voice didn't come from its mouth, Cora realized with a twinge of fear; its voice was everywhere all at once, coming at her from every direction. "You discovered the truth," it stated simply, "and we will not allow you to speak with the Doctor."

'_Well, that's not good,_' she decided, quickly taking her fear and shoving it away, choosing instead to mask it with cocky, "I don't give a damn" attitude. If she was in her mind, that meant that the Silent was as well. It was in _her _territory, giving _her_ the advantage. At least, that's what she told herself. "Yeah?" she asked, hoping she sounded skeptical as she glared at the alien, "just watch me." She was certain that, if it had a nose, the Silent would be turning it up at her.

"You are nothing but an infant compared to _us_," it scoffed. "You may know the truth, but only a _part_ of it."

_That_ caught her attention. Crossing her arms, Cora sneered. "Enlighten me," she demanded.

There was a low growling noise, something like a laugh. "You believe that we infected you with _perception_ _filters_?" Cora nodded, unsure of where it was going. Whatever it was getting at, her gut told her it was _bad_. "You are _wrong_," it jeered.

The hairs on the back of Cora's neck stood on end. "What the hell does _that_ mean?!" she cried, throwing her arms up in exasperation. Did _everything always_ have to be a riddle? Seriously, it was getting old.

She could hear the Silent's smirk in its voice. "The Silence alters humankind's memories to forget us as they look away. We have hidden on Earth for centuries, leading you, bending you to our will, and you don't even know it. We are…_invisible_ to you." Cora's face paled. No, no it couldn't mean…

"We have mixed your genetic makeup with some of our own," the Silent gloated as it disappeared where it stood. Though, its laugh echoed through her head long after it vanished.

Silent DNA. She had Silent DNA mixed in with her own. Cora couldn't believe it; it had to be lying! She had to get out, had to find the Doctor, had to tell him! Before she could move, she felt a crushing weight pressing down on her back, and it was flattening her slowly. Like Atlas holding up the sky, Cora was now stuck beneath the weight of her mind, and it took everything to stay upright.


	21. Chapter 21 Inner Demons

**Hello everyone! Yeah, yeah, I'm a bitch for leaving you like that, but I've got the next chapter for you! And, just an update, we are now at 98 reviews. And the story's not over yet...I guess I'm gonna have to do a sequel after all ;)**

**Big thanks to lenie954, Clemences-are-so-sexy (I definitely thought that said "clementines" at first and was like "whaaa?"), MyNameIsAwesome, and Skylar Kitten for favoriting and to Rylia and Shadows of Silver for stalking!**

**neva-chanluvsmonsters101- lmao *plays "Eye of the Tiger" to pump Cora up***

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**lenie954- Thanks a lot :)**

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**Fun fact: Did you know that originally I wasn't going to have Cora collapse in the first place? She was simply going to tell the Doctor...something...and then...something else would happen that I can't spoil :P But yeah, the whole Silent DNA never happened until the day I was at work and the bunnies nibbled on my ear. So there's that...**

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><p>Chapter 21 – Inner Demons<p>

Cora was weakening _extremely_ quickly. It wasn't simply her mind that was pressing down on her; it was all of her fears, regrets, guilt, and pain crushing her. She knew she was fighting death, and she couldn't get away from it. She couldn't push the weight off, nor could she allow it to gain a single inch—if she did, it would crush her in an instant. So, Cora stayed frozen, sweating with the straining task of simply staying alive. Grunting in pain, she looked up to see Meg standing in front of her; her arms were crossed as she frowned angrily at her younger sister. "It's all _your_ fault," she accused.

"What?" Cora gasped. "I don't understand."

"_Everything_! Everything that has ever happened was _your fault_." Meg sneered at Cora, imitating her in a high-pitched, whiny voice, "_Oh, poor me. Mom's dead. Dad hits me. No one understands me! Wah, wah, wah._ Give it a rest! Mom's dead because of _you_. Dad's in _jail_ because of _you_. And now _I_ have to work two jobs to take care of my_ stupid, self-centered_ little sister." She cocked her head to the side, pretending to think for a moment, "I'm sensing a pattern here, aren't you?"

Tears pricked in the corners of Cora's eyes; she couldn't mean that. "Meg, I—"

"Shut up. You don't care about anyone but yourself, you know that?!" Meg shouted, throwing her arms into the air in frustration. "All you do is _take_!"

"Cora."

Cora's eyes widened at the new voice. Shaking—both from weakness and fear—she turned her head from Meg and towards the voice. "Dad?" she choked out. She couldn't believe it; there, standing to her left, was her father, exactly like the last time she saw him. Wearing an old tee-shirt and sweatpants, the stocky man glared at his youngest child. His hair was thinning, beer-belly protruding, and he held a knife in his hand. The scar on her arm stung as she recognized it as the one he'd used.

"You did this to me," her father growled.

Cora shook her head frantically. "No, no I didn't! It wasn't my fault!"

Barking out a gruff laugh, her father rolled his eyes. "Of _course_ it wasn't. Nothing _ever_ was." Narrowing his eyes at her, he lowered his voice. "You made me this. You turned me to drinking after your mom died! All I did was try to beat the selfish little _bitch_ out of you!" Cora kept shaking her head. _'Don't listen to him, it's not true.'_ But he wasn't finished. "And if you hadn't screamed the last time, I wouldn't be in jail right now! _You_ would be _dead_, and everything would be right again!" He glowered at Cora, "You _know_ I'm not lying."

Looking away from her father, away from her sister—she couldn't stand to face either of them—she found herself face to face with her mother; broken and bloody, fresh from their car accident. A sob caught in Cora's throat as she moaned in grief, her tears now falling freely. "You did this to me," her mom whispered, "I wouldn't be dead now if it wasn't for you." That was all she said, but the pain and accusation in her expression spoke louder than she ever could have. Cora wished her mom would have yelled at her, screamed, lashed-out in some way—it would have been easier to take.

Then, a fourth voice joined her family. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was; she would have recognized his voice anywhere. "I'm going to die because of you, Cora," the Doctor murmured. "You've sentenced me to death, just like everyone else you meet. All because you appeared on my ship, because you tried to find me again, because you didn't tell me what I needed to know _right away_. And for what…your own amusement? Pathetic, that's what you are."

Cora fell to her knees as the people she had, at one time, been close to surrounded her, blaming her for every bad thing in her life. And she started to believe them. After all, she was in her own mind—everything they said, she had to be thinking. She couldn't take the pain and the guilt any longer. Her feeble grip on life was beginning to slip.

It was all her fault.

All _her_ fault.

And she would be better off dead.

Cora shut her eyes and hung her head, about to let the weight of it all crush her.

"_Wait!_" No more, please, she shook her head. She couldn't take anyone else. "Wait, please, just wait!" Looking up slowly, Cora was shocked to see a little girl. She was completely gob-smacked when she realized it was her three-year-old self. The little Cora's lip jutted out, her eyes pleading. "Don't listen to 'em! They're _liars_! Listen to _me!_"

"I can't," Cora gasped for air, her chest on fire, "I can't do it!"

Determination flooded young Cora's expression. "Yeah, you can. 'Cause nothing they're sayin's true! It's the bad-thing. It's _making_ you think your mean thoughts so's it can win!"

Cora furrowed her brow. "The Silent?" Young Cora nodded vigorously. "How do you know?"

"You gots-ta trust me!" Seeing her older self's tears, young Cora thought hard for a moment. "Think about the good stuff," she decided. "The bad stuff's makin' it heavy, right? So think 'bout the good stuff and it'll get lighter! 'Sides, they all need ya out there!" Young Cora pointed off into the distance, "Meggy and the Doctor-man and Mr. Jack and the man with the needles and all them other people! You gotta do it for them!" Young Cora took a deep breath, seeing that her older self needed a bit of help. "Here, like this!"

Suddenly, an image of Cora and her mother, sitting outside drinking lemonade, flashed in front of her. They were laughing and talking about boys and school and anything else that came to their minds. Overall, it was one of her favorite memories she _had_ of her mom. When the two of them embraced, Cora felt a moment of hope.

And that was all she needed.

Using up the last of her energy and concentration, Cora dug up the best and brightest of her memories. Meg and her playing "Cop and Robber" in the backyard, giggling like mad when they caught each other. All the times Meg told Cora that their mother's accident wasn't her fault. The moment when Cora finally believed her. The feeling of freedom she had when her father was taken away with flashing red and blue lights. Christening her and Meg's new apartment with a tub of cookie-dough ice cream and a couple of spoons. Slowly, the images of her angry family members faded away.

Cora thought harder. The Doctor's face when she first saw the stars. Owen's expression when she'd nearly taken his masculinity from him. Meg slapping Jack. Meg's blush when Cora teased her about the pizza boy. The Doctor ducking from the airborne fruit.

The weight of her guilt and suffering reduced and she made it back onto her feet. Still fighting, she thought of everything she still had to do. She needed to tell the Doctor about the Silence. She had to warn Owen about her wrath, were he to ever hurt Meg. She couldn't leave Meg on her own—she didn't have anyone else! Watching her three-year-old self cheer her on, she paused, noticed something else; a sound in the back of her mind that she hadn't noticed before. A voice.

"_Come on, Cora; _fight it_."_

And Cora opened her eyes.

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><p><strong>Alright, so that ending was pretty cheesey...but I mean, come on. Who doesn't like a bit of cheese? ;) Reviews today will get you an adorable three-year-old you saving you from impending doom!<strong>


	22. Chapter 22 The End

**This is it guys, the final chapter. Please, don't cry. Because you guys are WAY too fantastic, there will be a sequel. The total number of reviews before the end of the story: 107! I hope you're all proud of yourselves!**

**So the sequel, I don't know when I'll be writing it. I'm starting university next week, plus working an hour away from where I live, plus working on my other stories, so it might be a while. Sorry, but that's just how it's gonna have to be. I don't know what will happen in it, I still have to think of a plot, but it WILL happen eventually!**

**Also, sorry about not updating in a while. RL had me in it's diabolical clutches. Damn it.**

**Thanks to MegaTigger98 for stalking, OptimisticLivvy for favoriting, and Into The Vortex for doing both!**

**Kimikono- you my darling, are a genius! That was super clever and made me really happy! xD**

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**sonicpotato- NEVER! :D**

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**OptimisticLivvy- thanks for reminding me I dont know how to spell "optimistic" xD Thanks so much :)**

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**So, sorry that it's the last chapter. Sorry it's kind of short. But hey, I like how it ends and you're getting a sequel. So yeah. :D**

**Reviews get you these two pictures that you MUST SEE! (don't forget to get rid of the spaces)**

** fashionablygeek wp-content /uploads /2011/ 09/ Kai-Dr-Who-Portrait .jpg? cb5e28**

** orig /41 /cute-doctor-who-dr-who-karen-gillan-matt-smith-Favim. com-342269. jpg**

**The first is a mini 11th Doctor (ADORABLE!) and the second is Matt Smith hugging a unicorn pillow-pet. DO YOU NEED ANOTHER REASON?!**

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><p>Chapter 22 – The End<p>

"Woah, head rush," Cora complained as she sat up. She cradled her head in her hands for a moment, trying to get the room to stop spinning, before looking around at the shocked faces of her friends. Her face flushed in embarrassment. "Uh…hi." She yelped in pain as Meg punched her in the arm. "OW! What the _hell_ was _that_ for?!" She glared at her older sister who was glaring right back at her.

"Don't you _ever_ scare me like that _again_! Understand?!" Meg growled. The sisters stared each other down for a minute before embracing each other.

"Sorry, Meg." As soon as she was out of Meg's arms, she was smothered in Jack's iron-tight grip. "Hey, Jack," she laughed, her voice muffled by his chest. She had her hair ruffled affectionately by Owen before turning to the Doctor. He looked down at his feet for a moment, as though he was unsure of whether or not she wanted to hug him. _'Strange,'_ thought Cora, _'usually all he ever does is hug!'_ Realizing that the Doctor was, once again, blaming himself for something he couldn't control—the hypocrite—Cora smirked. "Well, come on then," she beckoned, arms wide. She couldn't help but grin at the smile that graced the Doctor's face as he hugged her.

"Good to have you back," he told her sincerely, pulling out of her arms. Cora nodded; it was good to see him too.

She hated to bring the mood down so quickly, but Cora couldn't wait any longer. "Doctor," she started, "I need to talk to you. It's about the Silence." The Doctor nodded, gesturing for her to go on as the room hushed. She took a deep breath, praying to everything she could think of that she'd stay conscious this time. "They said I'd keep the question unanswered—that I'd keep you from Trenzalore—and we automatically decided that would happen if I stayed. But…what if that was their plan all along?!" Cora became surer of herself as she spoke; the Silent told her she'd figured it out, believing she would die. That had to be _something_! "Doctor that Silent _knew_ you were going to find out what it said. What if it also knew that we'd decide I needed to leave, hearing that bit of information? We'd have walked right into its plan!

"But, before you say anything, there's something else. When I was…unconscious, there was one in my mind." A gasp circulated the room before everyone started to speak quietly amongst themselves. Cora rolled her eyes. "Yes, it was in my head, can we move on please?" When they were quiet once again, she smiled. "Thank you." Turning back to the Doctor, she continued, "It said that I'd figured out the truth and…Doctor…" Cora bit her lip nervously; what if he didn't want to travel with her after this? Would it change things? Would the Doctor hate her?

Seeing the genuine concern in the Doctor's face answered her questions for her. "Doctor, I can turn invisible 'cause I've got Silent DNA mixed with mine," she blurted out in a rush of word vomit before staring down at her lap, her cheeks flaming in self-consciousness. There were varied reactions to her confession; Owen and Jack shared a look of confusion, Meg hugged Cora tightly in sisterly support, and the Doctor rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Well," he drawled, "I suppose it makes sense. There _was _always a possibility of that being why you disappear."

Cora's head jerked up. "So…you're not mad?" she asked tentatively.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Mad? Why would I be mad? It's not your fault!"

Relief flooded over Cora like a tidal wave. He wasn't mad! Things were going to be okay! She was lost so deep into her own little world, that she didn't hear the Doctor's question the first time. Bringing herself back to reality, she blushed. "Sorry but, what?"

Chuckling, the Doctor repeated himself. "I said I never took you for a proper trip in the TARDIS. Wanna go for a ride?" His eyes twinkled mischievously, sure she would say yes.

Cora's eyes grew comically wide as she tried to remember how to speak. "You…you mean it?!" The Doctor had barely nodded before she was sprinting for the doors of the Police Box, her friends laughing behind her at her excitement. "I'll call you later, Meg!" she promised, shouting over her shoulder. Her mind raced with the thoughts of other worlds, times, and adventures. There was sure to be a lot of running, but she didn't care.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

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><p><strong>Thanks again to all my fantastic readers! You all rock and each deserve a ride in the TARDIS! <strong>

**Go back a few chapters, I gave one away ;)**


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